Bite the Bullet
by MistyWing
Summary: I wasn't meant to take on a whole lot, but in a different time and realm I didn't have much of a choice. I had to save a man from his demons, train with magician-monks, and emancipate oppressed China to ultimately protect that whole world and mine.
1. Prologue to a Prologue

Hi all;

The poll has closed and it's been decided that _Bite the Bullet_ is to be the first of two original CCS fiction I will be writing in the course of the next few years. I'll be roasting the next story once this one is finished. That also means you have lots to look forward to in the future.

Here's it goes. _Bite the Bullet_ is basically my version of the Card Capturing days in a totally new context, but it's still loosely based on the manga with nineteen cards. The characters are older, so I make them maturer than CLAMP's ten-year-olds. There's this humongous twist at the end that has been absolutely architect by me. Otherwise, a lot of the sealing cards scenes are borrowed from CLAMP, though there's bits of originality to the similarities. That doesn't mean that all the card capturing scenes are the same. Some, in fact, are different from CLAMP's original manga. You can test your knowledge and fanaticism if you could tell me which card scenes from my story are similar to the card scenes in the manga. There's just so much of CLAMP that could never be lost.

Today, I have started off this story with a prologue to the prologue. Sakura will introduce you to herself and some side characters. You're probably wondering why side characters are so important to me. The only thing I'll give away is that sides come with the main course in some places. That's the law of dining here.

So now take a moment to read the disclaimer, read the prologue to the prologue, and tell me what you're thinking in your splendid reviews. One word responses are acceptable and loved.

Cheers!

MistyWing

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><p><strong>Disclaimer: Card Captor Sakura does not belong to me. I have no rights to the characters, magic, and other such stuff pertaining to Card Captor Sakura.<strong>

Bite the Bullet

By MistyWing

"Prologue to a Prologue"

They could chew you up and spit you out, they could steamroll you over and make you lie as flat as a Persian rug, they could scrape your guts out and turn you inside out, but my advice to you for getting through all these forms of torture would be to bite the bullet. Now, that's the kind of stuff my rich great-grandfather spoon fed me everyday. He used to do all sorts of stuff with me while I grew up in his big house. For instance, he took me to work and made me watch what he did for a living during my summer breaks. He might have taken me to some sporting events with a group of his friends, who were as old as the artifacts Grandfather purchased and placed in the main hall of one of his beach houses. Yet, I was also the grandchild who didn't belong in his crowd. To get rid of me, he sometimes told me to stay in my room and read while he went off and did whatever he wanted to do. I wasn't one to protest. From what I've seen on T.V. and the internet, this wasn't what people called normal behavior in my grandfather or in me. What was more troubling about all this was that I actually listened to the old man back then.

For all my twenty-six years on this planet, I have never called anyone my best friend. In fact, I didn't have any friends. I didn't socialize, dance, drink or have any sort of fun I watch on television. I just sit in front of my computer or my T.V. gazing at nonsense during my down times. The more time I spent in front of a screen the less time I had to deal with my stigmatism.

The clueless and wimpy child that I had been was now this stick-in-the-mud who did and said whatever you told her to do or say. I only verbally abused people under my breath when they were at least a hundred yards away. "Stupid lowlife Syaoran. Big phony showoff."

I stopped at the end of the crosswalk and heard the businessman beside me mutter, "Weird broad." I didn't even glance at the guy to face him because I hate confrontation. I knew he was talking about me because everyone called me names along those lines when I get caught muttering to myself. Habits were hard to break.

But, my boss, Syaoran Li, was still a grade-A jerk wad. Who demands that his personal assistant be at the diner four blocks from his office in five minutes or he fires her sorry ass to hell? I had taken the stairs to spare myself a two minute elevator ride down, but even now I realized, glancing at my digital watch, that I had less than 20.5 seconds to cross the street and enter the diner. The "Don't Walk" orange signal lit up for what seemed like an infinitesimal second. By the time I could cross, I only had 13 seconds to enter the diner and find his table.

I only began to catch my breath when I finally reached my destination. Entering the place, my eyes automatically honed in on my target to the far end of the room. I vigorously shook my head at the maitre asking me if I had a reservation. I swiftly dodged him as I calmly speed walked up to the table where two physically opposite men sat and had their lunch. I recognized Syaoran for his dark-as-the-demonic-devil-in-his-black-blazer-look. His messy short brown hair was hard to miss in a gelled, stable, static-free hair environment. Across from him was a man in a white suit and a blue-gray tie. His long hair was the color of Grandfather's beard. This first time I saw him I named him White Suit on the spot.

I bowed my head and kept my eyes to the immaculate carpet as I crossed the restaurant to reach them. I slid the file on the table until I felt it bump against Syaoran's hand. The Devil they called a man snatched the file from under my fingers without a 'thank you' while he continued to chat with White Suit. "God-awful training sessions that lasted into the night… I must have been inhumane like _some__people_."

Inhumane was an understatement, I thought. He was an ungrateful fiend. Why, someone ought to teach him some manners that he so obviously lacks. I didn't have the guts to be that someone, though. Such challenges were for the confrontational-brave-of-heart.

White Suit sounded amused as he spoke to Syaoran. "This must be your new assistant."

"She's been with the company for a month. Ever since Takashi left, I've been stuck with her."

I bristled at his spiteful tone. Yet, I don't rebuff or burst into tears. I figuratively bite the bullet as my boss butchered me like a slab of meat in front of his associate.

"Around a month hardly discounts her from being new," said White Suit.

We all paused when we heard the buzz of my vibrating cell phone. Thank Lord for the bothersome grandfathers and brothers out there because they were the only ones who might call me at this time of day or anytime of day, for that matter. Grandfather and Touya habitually called me during my lunch hour like they have nothing else better to do, but nag my sorry self.

I raised my head and gave the two men an apologetic smile. Without leaving my spot next to the table, I turned my back to them and answered Touya's call.

"Are you coming to dinner at Grandfather's tonight?"

"Um, can I call you back at a better time?" I stage whispered.

"It's a simple yes or no, Shrimp."

"Uh, I think…" I lost my voice as I noticed the couple coming into the diner. I gave off a strangled gasp that probably made the ever so dapper men behind me look up from their quiet conversation.

"It's Friday; guys go out with other guys for drinks," Touya grumbled, impatiently. "I'm sure your hot date will be too busy to care if you ditch him this once."

I started grinding my teeth together, oblivious to Touya's voice. My eyes were concentrating on a couple that had just walked into the room. The couple paused in front of the smiling maitre. I snapped out of my trance when the both of them, led by the maitre, stopped at the table right next to Syaoran's table, and the male I recognized did not even notice me!

"Hey, are you listening to a word I'm…" I disconnected the call and bit down on the fingernail of my pinky. I gave off another sharp gasp when I saw the man wrap an arm around his female companion and pull her into a hard kiss. I saw his tongue dart into her mouth. Inside I was retching, but outward appearance showed my complete and open confusion.

Not quite myself anymore, I hollered in their direction, "Ken, what're you, in the name of all that's holy, doing to that poor woman when you're still with me?"

The man disengaged from his kissing partner and stared up at me with a look of shock. "Sakura," he stuttered, a blush coming over his face. Believe me when I say this, my blood was at a boiling point compared to what he was feeling.

"Answer me, Scumbag-of-the-lowliest-order!"

He gave me an uneasy look that he probably gave a billion other women. I scrubbed off the frown on my face and really took a staid look at him, reading everything about him in that expression he gave me. Something clicked inside my head… He lied to all the women he picked up like many of the male protagonists in the movies and internet fiction. Disgusted at this revelation, I gave him the most revolted and cynical look I was capable of giving anyone. "Just because I won't let you in my pants you hook up with other women who might. I think I'm going to be sick." I slammed my phone-holding-hand on his table. I winced as I heard some internal parts jiggle loose.

I couldn't bear to stare at his shamefully reddened face. I wish I could tell him to go to hell, but I'm the one who's supposed to go some place because I didn't have a lunch reservation. It's just like being role players in the movies. I felt as lowly as the ant that was squished between the sole of a man's foot and a man's paved road.

"Sakura, stop shouting now," Syaoran said to me. At some point in time he must have stood up behind me. My thoughts were still going at the speed of light when my head snapped up at the sound of his irritated voice. I was on a roll with my hollering, so why should I stop now? My mouth was moving quicker than my thoughts.

I turned my head around and looked over my shoulder at my plenty-neat boss. "Don't tell me what to do anymore," I scoffed in a voice I could not recognize as my own.

He gave me a deranged look of scorn, "Come again, Sakura."

Oh, I could come again ten-fold, you big-fart-of-a-bully. I waved my phone at him as I articulated in sincerity, "I don't plan on staying long with your company. In fact, I won't even complete the rest of my work day. Breach of contract? Sue me and see if I care." For emphasis I hurled my broken cell phone into his chest. It could not have hurt, since he only stood a foot in front of me when I chucked it at him. Throwing things did not make me feel the slightest bit less hurt about Ken or Syaoran or myself. Maybe that's why I didn't usually throw temper tantrums. Why waste time expressing rage when there were so many more worthwhile things to be passionate about?

Syaoran caught my phone and Ken gave me this peculiar look of awe. I probably looked and acted as strange as I'd ever been. The feeling of liberation was a short-lived feeling. The second I stepped out of the diner I felt like jumping in front of a moving vehicle. What had I done? How was I going to pay for my own rent without asking Grandfather for money? I once swore I would never put myself in the situation in which I would have to return to my childhood home. That was supposed to be behind me, a thing of the past, let bygone be bygones.

Now that I was down in the lowliest part of my depressing life, something mysterious caught my attention. I paused in front of the window display of a store I never noticed since a month that I started working on the same block. It was the poster on display that had stopped me in my tracks. I stepped to the side to prevent my carelessness from stopping the foot traffic around me. My eyes remained constantly attracted to the poster taped to the window.

The poster depicted a gold circular design. The two outer rings of the circle encased three squares one on top of another, their corners angled at thirty degrees. In the center of the squares was the golden symbol of the sun. To the left corner of the circle was the depiction of a crescent moon in its own personal circle. There were also cursive English letters as well as Chinese calligraphy etched on the lines. I wasn't an artsy buff or anything, yet I thought it was a very cool, original, and artistic design.

I glanced up at the banner over the front door and smiled to myself. It read Clow Bookstore. If I wanted to start all over and find a real job where I could actually go somewhere in life I might as well start by opening a book, right? I was already opening the door and walking into a whole new world before I could even reconsider. Wonderful, I thought, as I heard the bell jingle when the door shut behind me. I walked out of the hard, despicable reality and walked into a musky and dusty smelling realm of another world. The only person in this new world was an unreal fellow indeed. The guy behind the counter, probably the owner of the store, was staring at me with a wide and clandestine grin on his face.


	2. Prologue

"Prologue"

I couldn't see what color his eyes were at a distance. His eyes were hidden behind the wide frames on his oval face, but I could imagine the glint of amusement in his eyes judging by the way he smiled at me. His smile was not a hello-I'm-happy-to-greet-you-smile. It's actually the kind of smile that gave off a vibe of ah-I've-been-waiting-for-you-all-my-life. Scary. Scarier was the fact that he trumped me at being weirder than weird. He was dressed like a wizard from one of those fancy, fantastical stories from the cinema. I had these mixed feelings about the navy velvet robe he wore over his shoulders. It glittered with silver stars that made me recall droplets of dew on tree bark. The garment was beautiful by itself, but strange on its wearer.

"Trying cosplay?" I bluntly asked as I took a few more steps further into the middle of the store.

"No. I'm making a retro-fashion statement," he said in a deep British accent, lifting the edge of the navy blue material of his robe, so that I could better see that the color of the robe was the same color as his hair, "This old thing was something that has been passed down in my family for many generations."

I pursed my lips to keep from blabbing anything else that might have been offensive or asinine. The silence evoked the man to hop off his stool from behind his counter and approach me. His easy grin never faltered on his face and this caused me to take a quick step back.

"It's okay… I'm only trying to help a customer. The name's Eriol, The Storekeeper," he paused, still grinning from cheek to cheek.

"I've been walking by this store plenty of times. Today I saw the misspelled word on your sign," I explained.

He gave me a funny look. "Which word?"

"Clow or you must mean Clown."

He burst into fits of chuckles. "Cl-Cl-Clown? You actually think that it's supposed to be clown? Oh, you're a riot!" He snapped his buckling knee.

I joined in the laughter because it's just strange to let a guy laugh by himself. I guess Clow must be a surname…

Wiping at a tear he gasped, "Well, before I give props to the comedian who just walked into my shop, may I first ask what brings said comedian to my wonderful world?"

"Well, actually I might be very interested in the poster on your window. I might want to purchase one for my own bedroom. I might also buy a book at your recommendation, Eriol."

"That's a lot of 'might's' in one breath. Do you always sound so unsure about yourself?" He asked, gently.

I straightened my back as straight as a piece of plywood board and threw my shoulders back a bit. "I'm mighty sure of myself today. I'm done clinging to a cheating boyfriend and a job that's as brown and dirty as poop. I told my boss off just a second ago."

Eriol clicked the heels of his shoes together and whistled. "Well, you sound like a mighty young lady taking a hold of her own future. Brush all the bad, you did."

I glanced around me at the shelves of ancient-looking dusty books to distract me from the Yoda-talking guy in front of me. "Right… Do you have any recommendations?"

"A new book by Fitzgibbons just arrived this morning. I can show you the first book in the series and if you like it I'll order another one from his series for you. I like to keep the new books in the backroom. You may take a look around while I retrieve the poster and the book for you."

I did exactly as he said when he disappeared into the room behind him. I browsed the shelves, keeping my nose out of the dust as best I could. After five minutes of looking for nothing in particular, I spotted a plain book on the bottom row of the shelves. There was nothing extraordinary about this ordinary book. After all, the book was the only titleless-spined book in the mix. The spine was red and laced with two gold stripes on either ends of the spine. I pulled the book off the shelf and felt a thrill through my body at seeing that on the red cover of the book was the same gold symbol on the poster.

When I pulled the cover open a warm gust blew into my face eliciting a surprised blink of my eyes. I looked to my left and saw that no one stood at the entry. I looked to my right and I didn't see any sign of Eriol who might have switched on a fan upon returning to the storefront. I looked back at the 2.5 inch by 6 inch hole in the pages of the book and deflated quite visibly. I pealed one page away from another as daintily as possible and stared at the gaping hole. What a waste of a good old book I might have actually read. I took note that the pages weren't numbered either.

"Find anything interesting?" Eriol asked so suddenly I thought I could have jumped out of my skin. "I'm, sorry. Did I startle you?"

I shut the book and walked up to where he perched behind the counter. His eyes followed my every movement. When I finally, reached him, he said, "Why, that's quite the book you've selected."

"Quite," I said, severely. "So what happened to the pages?"

"Never mind that," he said, sliding the book I had just found to the corner of the counter. He proceeded to show me the poster and the book he recommended earlier. I only followed him for a second before my eye wandered back to the book in the corner. "Would you like to pay in cash or credit?"

"Credit… But, Eriol," I drew his attention away from the cash register for a moment, but before I could even open my mouth to speak, he hastily interrupted me.

Huskily, he told me this. "That book wasn't supposed to be on the shelf. It has a mind of its own sometimes if you catch my drift."

"The cover matches the poster, so I want to add it to my collection," I explained, handing him my credit card.

"That book was once a part of a far greater collection."

"In layman's terms, it's not for sale," I sighed in exasperation. "I get it. You don't want to sell it."

Eriol shook his head until I thought his glasses might fling off his face. "No, it's not for sale. However," he stopped for a dramatic effect, "I may give it to you if you're willing to take it."

I frowned. "Okay, what's the catch?"

He guffawed. "You are a riot, aren't you?" He was choking on his own saliva after a minute of unmitigated laughter. That was what made him serious. The part where he almost killed himself laughing because of my spectacular comedic skills I never knew I possessed. "Seriously, Sakura, there's no catch to this offer unless you count my policy the catch. My policy's for you to treat this item and everything linked to it with respect and love."

I blinked in surprise at him. "How did you know my name?"

He blinked his owlish eyes at me. "Why, it's on your credit card."

I mentally slapped myself. Who's out of this world, now, you and I both ask?

I took my yellow plastic bag with the big CLOW emblem on it because that was what I opted to call the symbol on the book, window display, and bag. The storekeeper gave me his haunted smile as I walked out of the store and returned to the world of no wonders.

"Ms. Sakura Kinomoto, you are under a contract." Syaoran's irritating, yet familiar tone echoed from somewhere behind me. "Do you actually think I might let you storm off when you have yet to fulfill the terms of our contract? You are willing to jeopardize your professional future by making a mockery out of my busy office just because of your embarrassing and personal problems?"

How did this man find me that quickly? I turned, so that I was walking backward as I spoke to my ex-boss. I tapped at my noggin. "Working for you for another year would just remind me of this very embarrassing and personal problem of mine, so I'll take my chances today and keep to my word. Who knows, I might land a job at an old, dusty bookstore."

"Sakura." He took a frantic step toward me.

I backed into the street and did not pay any attention to my surroundings. "You're not the only man hiring, Hotshot. You better believe it."

"Hold it. I said stop, Sakura!"

I only remembered the way his hand shot out to catch my retreating arm. The look of fear and vulnerability on his strict visage replayed in my visual memory as the world I knew came crashing down in a flare of white light. I forgot the sounds of the bellowing car horn and the squealing rubber tires coming from my side. I'd be darned lucky today if I woke up with just a bump on my head. I should have paid attention, so I could have lived and finally take proper care of myself.

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><p>Hiya all,<p>

I was hounding about updating once I had at least 100 viewers. That happened last week, so I set forth at writing once more. Thank you for your support and I'll await the next 100 viewers with love and hope. Adieu until then, my friends.

MistyWing


	3. Chapter 1

HAPPY NEW YEAR! 2012 will be another great one, so let us fill this year with a blast of memories. I hope you enjoy the first chapter of this epic. I know I've made you wait like enough.

"Chapter 1"

I must have landed on a rock head first. The first physical things I sensed when I began to stir were these grainy pebbles underneath my cheek. As I remained sprawled on the dirty floor, I warily reached up to touch the part of my cranium I bumped. There was definitely a painful and tangible bump right on the left side of my head. With the support of one arm I gradually pushed myself off the ground and scrutinized the fingers I pulled out of my hair. Luckily, there was no blood.

I looked about, scanning my surroundings. Just as I realized I had landed right behind a thorny bush, I also heard some noises. It was a combination of this hollowly whistle and some feet stomping on the ground.

"Stop attacking it. It's one of the mellow cards," I heard an impatient voice complain.

A gruff male voice answered the former, "It attacked me first."

"That's because you're being hostile."

This was when I decided to sit up. I was on my hands and knees when I peaked over the bush to watch the two squabbling. Here's what my noggin rattled and visual reception fuzzed vision caught. I saw a man with a slight build facing me and a much shorter and much smaller winged stuffed animal. It was hovering and glaring at the man, who spotted me first. When the man looked directly at me there was no mistaking his chestnut hair and amber eyes.

"So, you finally show yourself," he growled, pointing his wickedly sharp sword at me.

I cowered back even though he was a good ten yards away. When I drew back I fell through something that was quite chilly. It felt like coming out of a subzero vacuum, however you imagine that might feel like. My eyes were wide open as I fell onto my back. What I saw made my blood drop to Absolute Zero. I was staring at a female apparition bent over me. She had a look of concern on her face, but all I could do was scream everyone's ears off.

"Out of the way, you useless twit," said the sword barer as he sliced his blade through the apparition seconds after I rolled out of the way. I was breathing deeply as if my life depended on it.

The apparition's image was cut in half by the blade. I watched the ghostly, but lovely face split into halves and the rest of her scatter into the air. The head reassembled itself and now it was looking at me with sorrow. If she was looking to eat my soul it was over for me.

"Ignore the girl, Clow Card. You're battling me!" He lifted his sword and glared menacingly at the despondent ghost. She only glanced once more at me before breezing deeper into the trees again.

He was ready to chase after it, but my weak voice stopped him.

He turned to me cautiously, sword still raised. "How do you know my name?"

"Syaoran, I work for you!" I said astounded by that vicious look he directed at me. He was ill-tempered, but never like this. He looked like a wounded man with nothing else to lose and a boat-load of anger to dump on anything that stood in his way.

The doll rolled up beside me in the air and yelled at him, "You're a brute with no self control. When will you listen?"

"Don't you tell me what to do, Fur Ball," he snarled. "You're the one who let them get away by falling asleep!" He glowered at the doll and then at me. "Stay out of my way!"

"He needs anger management," I grumbled as I got up onto my feet. Everything ached, especially my head. No. That actually throbbed.

"Yes, absolutely," the creature beside me agreed

I jumped at seeing the doll talk at me. "What are you anyway?"

"I am the one and only Sun Guardian of the Clow Cards. I am also one of the most ancient magical creatures of the whole universe and frankly speaking, Clow Reed's greatest creation. They call me the all knowing, all surpassing, Kerberos," he said spastically, doing acrobatic loops in the air with his little wings.

"You mean there're others like you?"

"You must have hit your head. Where do you come from anyway and what's your name? Your clothes look funny."

"Syaoran's clothes look funny. That's the first time I saw him out of his business suit," I chuckled.

Kerberos looked at me like I was demented.

"My name's Sakura. I'm from Japan."

"Oh! I've been there before. That was when Clow Reed was still alive."

This was getting too weird for me. I needed someone to help me get home. "Look, I need you to point me in the right direction home. I don't know how I ended up here after almost dying on the street, but I can't be too far off from where I work, am I right?"

Kerberos stared at me like I was demented again.

This called for a short version explanation. "Syaoran was yelling at me and I was yelling back. While all that was going on I backed into the street with all the oncoming traffic. It happened so fast that I didn't have time to get out of the way. Next thing I know I landed here. My head still hurts from the crash landing I sustained. Will you help an injured girl out?"

"Hey, you must be from another world!" Kerberos interjected. "Clow Reed's prophecy has come to fruition! You must follow me." He hopped in the air for a while before he darted opposite the direction Syaoran had gone.

"Wait!" I followed Kerberos out of the forest and into a clearing. He led me straight up to a sloping path where a red shrine, twice my height, stood. There were vines along the four pillars holding the roof up. Inside the shrine was a cracked stone tablet. Kerberos hovered over that stone tablet. His charcoal eyes glittered at me as he waited for me to catch up.

"You know, I don't have wings." I looked about me, grumpily. We were in the middle of no where, surrounded by trees. "Where are we?"

"The Clow Shrine."

"No, I mean what country am I in?"

"De Ding, a small province in China."

China? China wasn't this backward. Were people wearing robes like Syaoran's or was it Halloween in China?

"Earth to Sakura, come in Sakura."

I stared at Kerberos' cute face and almost cracked up laughing. I'm talking to a battery-run doll, remote controlled by my boss. This was one big hoax because I wanted to quit my job before he could fire me. Okay, that didn't explain how he carried me all the way to the woods. Other people might be in on it. Maybe he enlisted the help of his friend, White Suit.

I grabbed Kerberos from mid-flight, and palpated him. "Okay, where's the battery in this thing. It's here somewhere."

The doll wrenched out of my grasp. "I am not a toy! Don't make me transform into my true form!"

I gulped and turned to leave. "I need a break."

"Wait, Sakura! Read what's on the tablet."

I didn't know why I listened, but hey, I was up there already, so why not? I bent over the tablet and began to read.

"'All the elements of the universe contained in these powers I leave behind. She who inherits the power of the Sun and Moon will be the next in line.'" Talk about equal opportunity here in China. I was expecting 'he,' not 'she'. This sounded like some guy wanted to harness the powers of the Sun and Moon and killed himself in the process of doing just that. Now, he wanted to heft whatever power he contained onto another dope with the latitude to grasp at something that was obviously impossible. Sounded like a circle of bad luck, if you asked me. Or more like a verse from a best-selling fantasy novel.

Kerberos poked me in the side of my neck. "There's more."

With squinted eyes I leveled my head to the bottom of the tablet. I reached out a sleeve to rub off sand covering the tiny letters in the corner. "Key of Clow, power of magic, power of light, surrender the wand, and let the force ignite, release for your Master," I murmured the inscription there.

Just as I did so, I was almost knocked off my feet by an invisible force. I lifted my arms to shield my eyes. All the while, Kerberos was shouting at me to hold out my hands. Crazy flying doll! Why didn't he try holding up his arms and blinding his eyes with this spiking power I couldn't see. I dared to open one eye to see what was going on. I didn't see Kerberos anymore. All that was in front of me was a spinning, pink staff. The head of it was the shape of a red beak with gold edges. Okay, this was, hands down, the weirdest thing I'd ever seen in my life.

I, with the diffidence of a woman who lived twenty-six years in practically what you might call confinement, reached out a hand. The moment I stuck my hand out, the staff smacked my palm as if it was magnetized to me. I closed my fist around the handle and the powerful force slowly dwindled away until only the tips of my hair and the edges of my clothes fluttered away from me. If I had known that reaching for the odd staff in front of me would save me from being blown away I would have done it before Kerberos suggested me to take it.

"That was weird, but awesome," I said. I started twirling the staff like a baton. It was lighter than it looked and I thought it was cute like Kerberos.

"You're the one! For a minute there, after that Brat woke me up, I thought he had said the words. Then, I asked myself why did he not have the key? I was very confused, you see, and I thought it was hopeless. That brat didn't even listen to a word I was telling him. He went right on marching through the task of catching without having much success. He just kept pointing his sword at me and threatening me and accusing me of letting out the Clow Cards!" Kerberos raved.

"Are you talking about Syaoran?"

"I didn't know his name until you started shouting it. It's hard to believe you're associated with a kind like him. You seem much more practical and nice."

I smiled. "Thank you. I wish I could make him appreciate me a little more, but that's like asking for the Sun and Moon."

"You're one step closer towards that goal," Kerberos answered blatantly.

"Come again?"

"You broke the seal." At my blank stare, Kerberos continued. "The one who breaks the seal will be granted the power of the Clow Key and all the Clow Cards she catches with The Key. When you broke the seal you released me and the cards from The Book."

He said it as if all of it made sense. Did I look like I got it? Kerberos caught on to my cluelessness and sighed in resignation.

Black beads for eyes stared unblinkingly at me. "You opened the book, right?"

I stared blankly back at him and answered, "I opened _a_ book that was given to me by the storekeeper at the Clow Book Store. The guy laughed at me when I told him I thought he misspelled clown."

Now it was Kerberos' turn to look confused. "You mean to tell me that you opened the book in Japan when the book has been right at this shrine in _China_ ever since Clow Reed died a century ago."

Oblivious, I nodded. "Who's this Clow guy anyway? A clown?"

"He was the greatest sorcerer of all time. He was the creator of that wand you're holding and the Clow Cards have his name on them. He's absolutely not some court jester if that's what you're implying," Kerberos sniffed disdainfully.

I snorted. "Sounds like a swell guy. Care to tell me what any of this has to do with me?"

"It means you're a card captor. It also means I need to talk to that idiot who's going to get himself killed if we don't stop him. I need to know exactly what he saw when he was here at the shrine."

I followed Kerberos back into the forest. We easily retraced Syaoran's steps. He made it easy because he left a great, big obvious mess to follow. He had cut down a few sapling trees in his path pursuing that apparition I saw earlier.

"That thing you saw was a Clow Card," Kerberos explained as we got closer to the fighting. "You have to catch it with your wand."

"That wasn't a ghost?"

"There's no such thing as ghosts."

"And there's such things as talking, magical dolls," I retorted.

We came out into another clearing where we saw Syaoran fighting the apparition. He was not doing a helpful job of capturing anything at the moment.

"You need to get out more, Sakura. Now, say the words I taught you."

"What words?" I muttered frantically, turning to the apparition who immediately noticed me breaking through the trees. It was floating towards us.

"After everything I said, you still don't believe me?" Kerberos shouted, irritated.

"You're asking me to believe that pigs fly!"

"They can if you use a little magic, but girl, you better say the words and seal that card. If I'm not right about you, then why would The Windy finally show its true form when you appeared behind the bushes? Why would The Windy stop fighting with that brat to follow you around? Why would the book open for you or why would the Clow Key come to you? Get the picture now?"

I turned away from the scowling cute face and confronted the Clow Card thingy. It was all or nothing. "Clow Card, return to your true form! Windy!" She stretched her arms towards me as I raised the wand in front of me. Willowy pieces of her gathered in front of me under the nose of my staff until all that was left was a card. I caught it before it fluttered to the dirt floor. For a moment I only blinked at what was in my hand. Then, I burst with glee.

"Hey, Kero! Your advice actually worked! I actually did it!"

Kero made a grave face. "I'm afraid The Windy has always been the compliant one. The rest of the cards will be a challenge."

"That was pretty cool, nonetheless," I said breathlessly. I felt like I was on cloud nine. I was also relieved that I hadn't been dealing with a ghost. I rather become a card captor than a ghost buster.

Kero ignored me as he flew over to Syaoran. The stuffed animal didn't waste a second in dealing with the warrior. "So, what happened at the shrine before Windy appeared?"

Syaoran turned his dirt smeared face in Kero's direction, "I read the prophecy and a blue beam of light went skyward. Smaller bolts of light fell across the land in all directions before the blue beam disappeared. You came out of the tablet a second later."

"I know you have the book," Kero roared. "Give it back! It belongs to Sakura!"

"I don't have it. There was never a book here."

"If you don't give it back, I swear…"

"Kero, I really don't think he has it," I interceded, jumping between them. I was afraid Syaoran was going to rip off Kero's adorable head. The man certainly intended to, judging by the ferocious look he was giving the guardian.

"I know a liar when I see one," Kero sneered, daring to glare back at Syaoran.

"He doesn't have it," I retort in desperation. "I have it, er, I had it, but now it's gone. It disappeared with the cards."

Kero relaxed. "I only fell asleep for thirty years, Sakura. Did you have to release all of them so quickly?"

I blankly blinked at Kero.

He sighed again and waved a fluffy paw at me. "Never mind. It's expected. He said a century, so here's a century."

"Who said?" Syaoran asked suspiciously.

"Clow Reed!" Kero snapped.

Syaoran made his sword disappear. You know… He just whipped his sword down and it disappeared. I watched him wear it over his neck and tuck it under the front of his tunic. The little illusion had my jaw drop. He stepped forward, so that the three of us stood or hovered in a triangle. "You're the guardian and you're the new master from the prophecy?" He asked, not hiding any doubt in his voice as he pointed at Kero and me.

"Sure thing," Kero answered.

Syaoran groaned. "We're doomed."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Kero howled.

"It means the world might be forced to rely on a lazy and fat stuffed animal with a clueless and scrawny sidekick."

"I am not a stuffed animal and Sakura has the potential that none of us can ever imagine!"

Syaoran's eyes raked me from head to toe. It made me uneasy, but that sizzled away to outrage the instant he opened his mouth to say, "She has the potential to scare the roaches from under my bed and that's all." He turned around and that was my opportunity. I chucked a fallen branch at the back of his head.

Under his raging gaze I held up my wand. It immediately dropped to the size of a small house key. "You don't know anything about me."

"You tell him, Sakura!" I heard Kero shout.

"I could do anything I put my heart into. I could even do it twice as good as you!"

"Now go for the K.O.!"

"You're just an average phony educated in suave!" I ended with a stomp of my foot.

I was walking up to Syaoran and yanking out one of his hands from their crossed position. Meanwhile Kero was asking in a fit of outrage, "What are you doing, Sakura?"

"I told you once that I wasn't going to get walked on by you and I mean it." I jammed the key into his palm with emphasis. "I'm never going to be anyone's crony if I live and breathe to see the next day of the rest of my life. I never go back on my word."

"Give that back!" Kero hollered. Syaoran just stood there, dumbfounded, with the key in his hand. Before Kero could snatch it away Syaoran pulled back his hand and started talking to me again.

"Who are you? Why are you talking to me like I know you?"

There was much more noise closing in from all sides of us, which brought our conversation to an abrupt halt. It made my heart race in panic. The shadows in the trees turned into real men with spears, swords, and bows. This was getting out of hand, I thought to myself.

"You! We banished you from this area a month ago. How dare you return to disturb us?" The familiar man who stood out from the crowd shouted at us. I spotted my brother, the one who had been speaking, leading the armed mob to where Syaoran, Kero, and I stood. I realized he was addressing Syaoran, "You consort with ilk like you now?"

Offended, I yelled at my brother, "Touya, you take that back or I'll make you live to regret it. Still, I'm so glad to see you," I said running up to hug him. I felt him freeze when I touched him.

"Have we met?" He asked, the moment I pulled away and smiled at him.

My jaw dropped, but I recovered quickly. "Stop kidding, Touya. The hoax's up. I get it. Hahaha…"

Kero kept shaking 'no' with his head. I immediately dropped my arms to my side and stepped back. "I'm sorry! You remind me of someone I know back home."

He raised an eyebrow. "A friend?"

I tittered as I looked to Kero for some support. "Yeah…"

"She just touched you without your permission, Governor. Aren't you going to dismember her hands?" Syaoran suggested sarcastically, so eager to put my head-no, fingers-on the chopping block. I bit a knuckle as I stared at my brother, the Governor of De Ding, I was guessing.

"Stop it you two," the only female in the mob reprimanded. "You two haven't talked for a month and still vying for an upper hand." A young woman around my age stepped into the fray. She had raven hair that hung to her hips and eyes the color of violets. Her porcelain skin was slowly turning pink as she frowned at Touya and Syaoran.

Touya shook his head at the woman. "Tomoyo, you don't belong out here. Get back to the house."

"Silence, Touya. Don't baby a grown woman," she warned. I was ready to swallow down my knuckle at that moment because that was the first time I saw a woman have constrain over my brother. This guy was not my brother though, I reminded myself.

"Tomoyo, please," he murmured, affectionately.

Tomoyo ignored Touya and ran straight to Syaoran, throwing her arms around his neck. I was taken aback. I jumped to the side a bit to get out of the way. It was just so obvious that those two were involved and Touya didn't look too grateful about it.

"How was the trip? Did much soul searching?" Tomoyo asked Syaoran, who remained as cold as ice and as mute as a statue.

I looked over some heads to see Kero wildly gesturing at me to run. Run while they've got me surrounded on all fronts? Great idea, Kero. He obviously wanted me to sneak out of this mob, which would have been a nice thing if I hadn't felt lost and alone with the absence of people, mob or not. Believe it or not, Syaoran and Touya being here made that much of a difference. I didn't want to leave the buffer of comfort they offered, even though neither of them recognized me. Who bumped whose head?

I spoke out, then. "I want to go home. Will someone help me?"

Everyone looked at me, including the pretty, no, I mean beautiful girl with her arms around Syaoran. "Did this monster steal you away from your homeland, Stranger?" Touya asked calmly.

"No, but they're forcing me to do something I don't want to do."

Kero yelped. "Sakura, what are you saying? It's your destiny!"

"Before I met any of you, I only had one destiny and that was to treat myself well! Kero, you can't just throw things at me and expect me to catch. Syaoran can't make me stick around either," I stated bluntly.

"If he's forcing you to do anything against your will, I'll put a stop to it at once," Touya promised. He wasn't even looking at me because he was too busy staring at the beautiful girl and my boss.

"He bullies me and forces me to do things I don't want to do. He's the worst employer ever!"

"That's nonsense! You have obviously lost your mind, you twit," Syaoran barked.

"I concur with the 'nonsense' bit, Lady Sakura. That doesn't sound like the Syaoran I know," Tomoyo said quietly.

"Sorry sister. I hate to break it to you, but your boyfriend has anger problems," I stage whispered as she came up beside me. She started inspecting me like I was some sort of art display. She picked up my arm and circled me with a critical eye.

"I concur to that as well, but Lady Sakura I'm not a nun. I've know Syaoran since we were children. He would never force a lady like your self to do his bidding."

I caught Kero slapping his forehead. He started tugging at his ears in frustration, too.

"Your attire's most peculiar. This must be some new Japanese style?" Tomoyo asked in wonder, a delicate frown marring her lovely face.

I looked at the dirty blue blouse I wore to work today. My matching beige jacket was gone. I looked down at the dirt-smudged beige slacks I had on. My clothes were quite ruined. I looked like I just farmed all day for a living. I glanced at Tomoyo in her silk pale purple robe with intricate flowers and leaves. Her touching me made me feel vile. I was tainting a flower while she was being the curious spectator of some foreign art form.

"I'm not necessarily the trendiest of Japanese where I come from," I said.

"That mustn't be the case. If you're traveling with Syaoran, then it does not surprise anyone that you're smeared in dirt," Tomoyo said as a matter of fact.

"She wasn't traveling with me. We just met," Syaoran muttered, avoiding eye contact with me.

Syaoran faced Touya and the rest of the crowd. "I just met that stuffed animal and this foreigner from another land. All of you are looking at the prophecy's new Master of the Clow Cards and her Sun Guardian Kerberos."

"You're the new Master?" Touya looked at me like I was some sort of miracle. That was new.

"No, I'm not."

"Show them the card," Syaoran ordered.

I felt Tomoyo hugging my arm to her side as I grimaced at Kero. "I don't have to if I don't want to."

"I believe Syaoran. She's the one," Tomoyo murmured breathlessly.

Her eyes shone as she gawked at me. It was the most unnerving thing ever. "She has her reason for not showing us. Quickly, we must welcome the new Master and her Guardian. Let us prepare a feast. You may stay at our house," Tomoyo said, dragging me through the woods.

We went and behind me I could hear Touya complain. "Let the poor girl go. She's going to fall down. She's not another doll you can dress up for your dinner parties…"

Who would have thunk it? I found solace in all this chaos with the slight pressure of Kero's plush bottom on my shoulder.

* * *

><p>Dun. Dun. Duuuuun. That was not a cliffy, so I have no idea why I made that noise just now. Please review. I f you like, then you should favorite, alert or both.<p>

Best,

MW


	4. Chapter 2

The trick to getting a chapter out every month is switching to a part-time course load. Now, I have time for myself and that means more time to spare here (not that grad-school stuff isn't what I chose for myself after college [I'm just crazy mad about studying (when I know I've completely lost my marbles)]). I'm very happy to also announce that my life has slowed down enough for me to relax and enjoy myself. This spring break I'm going some place snowy and bringing out the dusty snowboard. FYI, my Spring Break is in two weeks. By then, maybe CHAPTER 3 will be out. Cowabunga!

"Chapter 2"

The flying yellow teddy bear with wings and whose name was Keroberos was right about one thing. China was bursting with magical creatures; some with wings and others wingless; some completely animal and others completely fairy; some looked like a hybrid of animal and fairy. Otherwise, everything was just swell and normal looking. Except for the fact that everyone was wearing those robe-like tunics! There were the simple tunics in plain solid colors like grey, blue, or beige. There were also the more fancy long tunics like the one Tomoyo wore. They looked weird in my perspective, but who was I to judge them? I was the one who actually stood out in that age and in that part of the world. I was in my twenty-first century attire, so that made up for the reason why the villagers were all openly staring at me. The creatures took an interest in me as well. The bolder ones actually came to hover around me.

Touya pushed the land creatures away with his shoed toe and swatted the air creatures with his hand. I was relieved when Tomoyo finally pulled me into their house and steered me into the foyer.

"Don't mind those curious eyes. They are just very interested in the new master. Word goes round quickly in these parts."

Touya was grunting in that disgruntled way I knew so well. Syaoran was silently standing behind him.

"Let me show you to one of the unoccupied guest rooms. You should stay with us until you get your bearings."

"She can't stay with you. She's a complete stranger and she doesn't belong around…"

"Shut up, Li, if you know what's good for you," Touya muttered under his breath.

Syaoran glared back at Touya, but he actually did keep quiet after Touya's sharp order. I knew better than to think that the two men were in mutual agreement. Syaoran was probably keeping silent because he had nothing else to say on the matter and Touya did not pay another care to the unkempt warrior because he downright didn't care.

I came to a conclusion as Tomoyo hustled me into "my" room and got me out of my dirty clothes. I came to the conclusion in the seconds she robed me in the style of their century. I should tell you the conclusion after she left me with the task of "preparing" myself for some coming of existence ceremony. The idea kind of gave my self this high powered presence I was never so sure about. My existence as someone profound in the eyes of these strangers really did make my nerves jittery. Anyway, in conclusion, Kero was right about one thing. Magical creatures existed and I was now stuck in a dimension between my world and this world, where personas were the same in both worlds. I was wondering if I was going to run into myself in this world when Kero flew in through the open window and disrupted my train of thought.

"Whoeee, everyone acts as if they haven't seen the Sun Guardian in ages… Oh wait," Here, Kero drew in a deep breath and held it, so that his chest stuck out. "It has been ages for them." My little friend looked around the room for a moment before he joined me on the bed. "Say, are you starting to believe anything I was telling you about earlier?"

I stared back at him skeptically.

"What do I have to do to get you to believe? If you only believe in what you see, then you really are completely blind to the truth. What you see is never really the proof. You have to understand that to master your powers, Sakura."

At this I got up on my feet and started pacing. I covered my ears trying to concentrate, trying to wake from this long dream. When I didn't wake and I still saw Kero now hovering in my peripheral vision, I asked him, "What year is this?"

I was not in some kind of inter-dimensional space, people. Kero just told me it was two-hundred-something BCE in China. He didn't exactly say the year. I derived the time period because I did the math myself. He mentioned how the Middle Kingdom was just coming out of raging battles between the warlords as predicted by his previous master. This Clow sorcerer lived a hundred years ago, so it made perfect sense that NOW was after the Warring States period of China. I'm not a history buff, but I think I know enough Chinese history to say that I was now residing in the period after the Warring Sates period. And by the sound of what Kero had to say about his master, the man was a swell guy who saw into the future of every living soul that he saw fit to have their futures read. Look at China. It was coming out of their wars as Kero said Clow had predicted.

With my head in my hands I groaned. "I am so out of place and out of time right now."

"Yes. What period do you come from?" he asked.

"Would you believe me if I told you I came from the future; about a little under two-and-a-half millennia to be exact?"

Kero fluttered, so that he was right in my line of vision. His plush paws pressed into my fingers that I pressed to my cheeks in frustration. "Just because I don't see the future, it doesn't mean it doesn't exist," he said.

I started pacing so abruptly I caught Kero off guard. He swiveled in the air as I continued to rant. "It's just so hard to make sense of anything."

"It'll take some getting used to, but it'll come to you naturally," Kero assured me. He seemed to assess me with his beady eyes. "I don't doubt Clow Reed's choice."

I spun on him and lashed out, "What about my choice?"

I could not blame Kero for keeping a fair distance away from me during the festivities. Even with all the villagers surrounding me and taking me through dances and ceremonious Chinese traditions, I felt distinctively alone. The only rightful explanation for this was that I did not belong. Kero would constantly cast a look of disappointment in my direction and Syaoran would occasionally glare at me when I wasn't watching. I was not blind to the fact that the first two living creatures I met were the first two to misunderstand me in this world. I seemed to drag my petty self from one world to the next.

"Is something wrong?" Tomoyo asked me as she settled herself gracefully beside me.

She startled me. "I'm just thinking."

"I know. Your beautiful face looks thoughtful."

I gave her the weirdest look I could put on my face. No one ever called my face beautiful. I was just average looking. Scrawny. Pale. Coward. Yes, I admit to cowardice. As I mentioned before, I was never one to fight my battles. I'm the gal that slinks away at a challenge. It was high time that Clow Reed's Sun Guardian accepted that.

"It must be very hard for a foreigner to get used to a new land. If there's anything you need, feel free to ask. I'm not sure if I can provide, but I certainly will try," she murmured as she leaned towards me. I shifted away a little in my seat, so that I was slipping off the edge of the bench. "You are tired, Sakura. The people have been pestering you all night."

"No, everyone has been kind and considerate." I lifted a sleeve to rub my eyes. The material was cool to the touch and it reminded me that I was far away from home. I wanted to change the subject. "Say, what's the governor like?"

"Cousin Touya is stern, astute, and generous. When I lost my parents to an accident, he and his father took me in. After his father died, Touya became the last remaining relative of mine."

My eyes looked around for the profile that looked exactly like my brother. I spotted him in deep conversation with one of the villagers. When my eyes stayed on him longer than necessary, he turned to me. His dark eyes met mine. It was as if he was waiting for the time to excuse him self from business to talk to me. There was a lump in my throat as this man that I wanted to hug and confide in walked up to us. He stood before me with a worried expression. "What's the matter?"

That was a common question from those who even bothered to notice that something was wrong. I was grinding my teeth and looking an inch above his shoulder. He looked just like my brother, but I couldn't face him. Weird. My brother was a complete stranger here.

I paused to come up with a smart, thoughtful explanation for my somberness, but all thoughts were obliterated at the sound of a shriek that resounded through De Ding. Alerted, I stood from where I sat. Touya didn't even give me the chance to ask what the commotion was about. He was ushering Tomoyo and I back to the Governor's house, practically hauling us by the shoulders. I was dragging my feet and I could hear Tomoyo gasping as well as pointing up ahead at an unnatural eclipse.

I looked up to see what had everyone suspended in attention. It was a silver bird spanning the night sky. Its massive wings blocked out the stars and the yellow moon. It beat its wings against the air and sent a sharp and piercing gust at everyone. Frighteningly, it watched me with slits of obsidian eyes. Then, without warning, it swooped down, jaw opened, at me. I did not know what came over me, but I dug my heels deeper into the ground as I faced the black hole of the creature's mouth.

"Sakura, look out!" Kero shouted. His voice was projected in all directions and yet the little bolt of yellow in front of me meant that he was right there. Syaoran also appeared from out of no where. He brought his sword down between me and my pursuer at the last minute to parry the creature in mid-attack.

"Move back!" Syaoran shouted at me, his eyes flaring red.

Touya tugged at my shoulder until I thought the ball and socket were going to tear. I felt my world suddenly tilt and drop upside down. Touya had grabbed me and thrown me over his shoulder. He was running and Tomoyo was in step beside us.

"Sakura, snap out of it!" Touya shouted as he essentially ran for both our lives. "You're in danger." The rattling of my brain knocked me out of my stupor for a moment, but it also left my head aching.

Yeah, why was every living thing after me, anyway? I strained my neck so that I could look up at Kero and Syaoran defending me from the creature.

"What's this one?" Syaoran asked, squinting at the Clow Card coming in and out of focus.

"I'm not sure. It doesn't want to reveal itself. Only the master can see it in its true form."

"What the hell? What are we supposed to do?" He hollered, jumping backwards to avoid another attack.

Kero's explanation died with the bang of the Governor's front door. I was safe behind the closed door and Touya looked like he was dying for breath. "No offense, New Master, but you weigh a ton!"

From the corner of my eyes, I saw Tomoyo hurry off in a fury of silk. She paused right in front of the window and gasped. Irritated, I was ready to voice how peeved I was at her looks of utter hopelessness. She seemed like another damsel in distress. Do we need any more of that?

I staggered over to the window sill and peered out. I could see the silver bird in the air throwing attacks in every aimless direction you could imagine. There was absolutely nothing that could hide from its angry rampage. Its strength peeled cemented tiles off of the inclined roofs.

"What's doing that?" Tomoyo asked, her voice vibrating with fear.

I squinted in confusion. Why was I the only one who could see the bird? Was I truly the only one who could see its sharp feathers graze the rooftops and leave scars there? Was I the only person who could see the trunk-like neck shake and twist? Was I the only one who could catch this thing?

I kneeled, stone still, as I watched Syaoran fall on his back with a grunt. I felt Touya behind me, both his hands bracing the window frame on either side of Tomoyo and me. The three of us huddled there looking at the scene and seeing something different. They saw some invisible force, while I saw something only my eyes alone could see.

There was no time to waste. Another second waiting like a scared, worthless person in this world was another second that either Syaoran or Kero could die. Taking a deep gulp of air I ducked under Touya's arm and headed for the door. Touya was hollering at me as I stepped outside to face my fears. This was it.

I balked in the center of the town square and faced the bird. As its eyes seemed to specifically target me I raised my trembling finger at it. "Clow Card, show me your true form!"

It squawked and folded both wings over its small body. Then, a second later, bursts of feathers exploded from around the cocoon it formed. I clenched my eyes shut and raised my arms to shield my face from the sharp blast of wind. When I looked up the silver bird was now the same size as me. It stood in front of me, gazing at me with its head tilted to the side. We probably studied each other for nearly five minutes before either of us reacted. I think I noticed a hint of amusement in the twinkle of its black eyes before it pecked me on my forehead. "Hey!" I shouted at it. Probably that startled it because it immediately spread its wings and took off into the night sky.

There was a pause of silence where I asked everyone around if they just saw what had happened. At a few nods of response, I figured my best option was to confront whatever it was head on. This would be the second time I wriggled out of my comfort zone.

"That was The Fly!" Kero exclaimed beside me.

"Do they all attack people when I don't pay them any attention?" I asked him.

He brought a paw to the newly formed wrinkle between his brows. "The Clow Cards? Yeah, the sensible ones."

I frowned at him. "You're going to have to explain what you mean by 'sensible ones' later," I tossed over my shoulder. I trudged to where Syaoran still lay groaning. I took him off guard by bending near him with my palm stretched out in supplication. I didn't feel a wit like helping the prude up and believe me when I say I had no notion of doing so. In response, he stared at my hand like it was some sort of virus.

I spoke succinctly and firmly to state what mattered most at that moment in time. "I believe you have something that was given to me a while ago."

He answered gruffly, a grim look on his visage. "Are you sure you can handle the power?" He was already reaching into the folds of the front of the shirt under his tunic.

"You'll just have to see for yourself," I told him confidently. I snatched the small key from his hand and deliberately gave him a show. I transformed the key into the wand and weighed the staff in my firm grasp. "I'm going to need some guidance from you experts," I shouted grumpily, snubbing the roaring cheers from the villagers.

Kero led the way and I was able to hear myself speak again. Syaoran was right behind me as the three of us trudged through some wooded land. The dense trees became sparse and just when I thought I was ready to give up and call it a night, Kero shouted from ahead of the pack. "There's that presence again."

I felt it, too. It rippled between skin and muscle like a quick electric jolt. It left a tingling sensation in all my limbs. I tried to hold myself together as I took the lead and led us out into a field. "Rats. Snakes…" I muttered under my breath about all the possible pests that infested the empty fields.

"Are you scared?" The only other human amongst the three of us taunted me.

"You'd be just as much if you were a big city dweller, buster," I grumbled, glancing sideways at the warrior.

He snorted, but I ignored him. I concentrated on what Kero expected me to find. What I expected to find. With eyes closed I was able to feel the air swirling around us. I was able to feel the pebbles under the thin soles of my slippers. I was even able to hear anything as far as the great distance between us and De Ding.

Okay, I was never good at sitting or standing still. Maybe that was why I ended up being an errand girl for the higher ups. Yet, here I happened to be; in complete control of my breathing and in all encompassing harmony with my surrounding.

I drew The Windy from the pocket of my skirt and focused. No Kero. No Syaoran. Just you and I, Clow Card. I called The Windy out as my sixth sense pulsed like a second beating heart. And I watched her curl her arms around the silver bird flying up ahead.

"She got it!" Syaoran sounded, forgetting to mask the disbelief on his face.

I made sure that The Windy had a firm grasp around my capture before I ceremoniously spoke the words that Kero had taught me before hand. "Clow Card, return to your power confined. Fly!" A flash of blinding light, followed by an explosion that was accompanied with reverberating howls, finally relented as I reached my unseeing hands into the space in front of me. My momentarily blinded eyes felt the two cards between my fingers. My thudding heart threatened to leap from my rib cage.

"Told you it would come to you naturally," Kero spoke softly next to me.

"Let's get out of here. It's creepy at night." I was turning and I must have caught a rock with my toe. I fell, face forward, groaning.

That was when the stupid warrior with the magic touch lit a fire on the tip of his sword. As I was spitting out grass and dirt, he plainly stared me down. Then, he stepped right over me and lit a path for Kero and me to follow far behind him. Kero and I exchanged looks of annoyance. Was this how it was supposed to be for the rest of my stay here? I was to face humiliation in front of Syaoran, listen to Tomoyo rave about how I look, bristle at Touya's blatant stares, and look into the face of absolute confidence from a miniature Sun Guardian. Was I getting a little ahead of myself, you ask? Oh, totally not. There was much more in store for my future in old aged China.

"I hate to admit it," Kero grumbled, "but he's quite handy in certain circumstances."

I glared at Kero. "I absolutely will mind if I have to work with him!"

My voice echoed, but the idiot in front of me didn't show any sign he acknowledged my enthusiastic outburst. Maybe he shared the same sentiment and would leave me alone from now on to do whatever I was sent here to do. Oh, how totally untrue, I later find out.


	5. Chapter 3

"Chapter 3"

That night, I think I fell asleep when Kero was still speaking of sorcery as well as his and the Clow Cards' beginnings. I'm a realist at heart and so the information I deemed significant remained in the forefront of my frontal cortex. It was no wonder that I would get visual dreams of the Clow Cards from that moment onward. Little talking stuffed animals made your dreams of magic quite vivid on a different level of 3D imagery.

"Like you and me, all the Clow Cards have personalities. They can be aggressive or passive, violent or gentle, strong or weak, brilliant or stupid…"

I was in the half state of consciousness with my eyes softly closed when I snorted at what he was saying to me.

"Listen and listen carefully… In order to catch all of them you have to know them like you know yourself. Are you listening?"

I grumbled and turned over, twirling the comforter around my legs.

Kero sighed and I heard him turn in for the night, too. My kind hosts gave my new little friend a little drawer in my borrowed dresser. The sounds of Kero's muffled good-night and the wind tapping gently against the window, heralded me into a dream state.

Minutes later I was standing on the rooftop ledge of the Governor's home at nighttime and looking out into the province of De Ding, China. Every soul was asleep and not even a cricket chirped. I glanced down and jumped, allowing for the wings of my wand under me to catch me and carry me forward. I must have flown for many hours before I came to the outskirts of De Ding. Now I stared at the tall pagoda I was hovering under. It also came to my attention that there was no moon and no stars to light the night. I had only seconds to ponder over why I could see the curve of the beautifully arched roof structure in complete darkness, when something landed just above me and snapped me to attention. I swerved out from under the pagoda and climbed a couple meters skyward to find that a glowing creature was what could cast the shadows in the pitch black darkness. I opened my mouth to greet the creature, but it responded by glowing brighter until I could see nothing. My eyes burned and I felt a fire wrap itself fiercely around my throat. My tears scorched my cheeks and I finally let out a piercing scream.

I jolted awake, my scream penetrating a wail that was coming down the hall. I recognized the petrified wail as Tomoyo's prolonged cries for help. A few other voices, less scared, but frantic nonetheless, accompanied Tomoyo's cries. The house's attendants sounded as trapped and worried as Tomoyo. Then, Touya's voice boomed louder than everyone else. "Everyone remain calm! I will attempt to break down my door." There was a loud boom, followed by a crushing and alarming silence.

That got me to move… At the very least, the sound of people's fear got me to TRY to move. The whimpering and the rattling sounds started to shake the house again while I tried to focus and figure out why I couldn't pull the covers off of my body. When the sheets slid off my bed in a puddle due to my movements, I noticed that my waist, wrists, and ankles were bound by snarled wood. I tried pulling, but I only felt the pressure of rough wood bite into my skin. I let out a breath, thinking that I was still in the middle of a wickedly, horrible nightmare. Then, I heard something banging in my dresser. The noise like the sound of a knock on wood became insistently urgent.

"What is going on out there?" Kero finally shouted. "Sakura, open up! If this is your idea of a joke…"

I gulped and craned my neck to look at a massive tree trunk wedged between the foot of my bed and Kero's drawer door. "Kero," I managed to groan.

"Wait a minute." The guardian actually waited before continuing. "I think I sense a Clow Card."

I bit my lip from letting a snide remark sputter from my trembling mouth. No kidding, Kero. I rolled my eyes even though there was no point in doing so when no one could see me.

"Sakura… Touya… I'm scared," Tomoyo whimpered.

Worried myself, I managed to snap free one hand and roll to my side. "It's going to be okay, Tomoyo. I'm right down the hall," I called.

"Sakura," Tomoyo sighed.

I tore at the branch around my other hand and continued to speak in a soothing and calming tone, "What's going on? What's happening on your side?"

Tomoyo babbled frantically, "I woke up in a bed of leaves. There are waves of knotted wood that remind me of tree roots. They're all over the floor. I walked over them to reach the door. The door was stuck, so I tried the window, but the wood keeps growing over the window every time I try to pull it off."

"Clow Mistress, it is happening in this room as well."

"The kitchen staff's sleeping quarters, too!"

"I can barely see out the window, but I think the stables are also concealed by branches."

"There is no escape for any of us!"

"Doom for us all!"

Over all the scattered shouting, I looked over at the dresser. "It sounds like a woody situation."

"That's The Wood for you," Kero agreed.

"What's this one supposed to be like…?"

As if the card suddenly was aware that I was catching on and therefore soon catching it, the card came to life. I wiggled in protest, as the branches spun and rolled around my waist and ankles. They were slowly pushing me into a bone-breaking level of pain.

I gasped for air as I called silently for The Windy Card. The Windy pushed between the branches and snapped the wood in two around me.

"… She is as gentle as The Windy."

"No she's not," I spat as I jumped onto the bed and brought out The Fly. "Fly, come to my aid!"

I hopped on the wand barely avoiding a wooded fist in the air. The branches were lashing out at me as I spun in the small space of my room. One branch landed on Kero's dresser, splintering his bed-turned-prison into wood chips. I snatched Kero from the air and avoided another close call.

"I have an idea," I said. I went full speed at the door and dropped only an inch before I slammed into it. The branches smashed the door into a million pieces and continued to chase me down a flight of stairs. I wound myself through the halls and rooms of the first floor, racking my brain for part B of my unplanned plan. This was totally unfair. I was never the type to think on my feet and be that spunky spontaneous person in those stupid witty stories I read online! No ones like that. And if anyone claims to be that, I might give them a piece of my mind.

"Look out!"

Kero spoke too late. One branch swiped me at the middle and threw me to the floor, windless. I fumbled to my feet only to get knocked down again. "Windy," I groaned. My wand escaped its burial in The Wood and returned to my hand. "Wood! Return to your true form." Windy flew off to the side as The Wood took on her true form; a beautiful, sinuous wood nymph. She looked at me as if unsure of what I was.

"I'm Sakura. I want to be your friend, so stop hurting everyone I care about and act kindly. I haven't once tried to attack you."

The Wood gestured over at The Windy.

"Was she hurting you in any way? Think about it," I said, not meaning to sound like my angry boss, but I think I pulled it off.

The Wood suddenly sat down and looked tragically despondent.

"Wood, return to your power confined." I sighed.

The Wood Clow Card came into view, but I did not reach for it. I let it land on the floor beside me where I sat with my legs stretched. I waved at Kero to come forward. When he was close enough I grabbed his tail. "You said she was supposed to be nice!"

"Look! When Clow Reed made the cards he gave them human personalities. Even though certain personalities were made to stand out according to the elements, you can't control such human conditions. The Wood still wanted to be caught subconsciously, but if she had to fight her friends to get there she would be very unwilling," Kero explained.

I pulled him into my chest and hugged him. I was still trembling from the ordeal. "Kero, I felt like I almost died. I felt utterly hopeless."

"You did well, Sakura. I'm sorry there isn't a way to prepare you for this." He held my face between his plush paws. "We'll do a bit of magical training everyday. How about it?"

"Like?" I said, standing on my own. I didn't feel sore like I just fought for my life. Instead, I felt pretty darned GOOD. I turned to Kero as we heard all the doors to the house fling open and bang against the walls.

"Fortune telling."

I raised one eyebrow at him.

"How do you think the first master saw into the future? Once we catch enough cards we can start with the fortune telling."

I started to climb the stairs and nearly fell backward and broke my neck when Tomoyo flung herself at me by jumping down ten steps. She half dragged me to Touya's room without much of an explanation for her rampant behavior. We all know why she compulsively glomped me, though… It was uncomfortable and reassuring at the same time. Weird.

Thank goodness our dare governor only sustained one black and blue in the center of his forehead. His story was that he missed the door he was trying to break down because of a branch that suddenly appeared out of no where. I held my tongue at something I might have joked about with my brother, but this was the governor we were talking to.

The rest of the day, Kero and I went our separate ways. Hey, I was more used to being by myself and I was always better off that way. This way I was able to think without outside bias and I could talk to myself with no refrain.

As I meandered my way through town, people spared me these annoying glances. So this was the way of life for a celebrity… I hated it. I would never trade anything for fame and glory. Never ever. Even if you handed me a million bucks I would definitely shoot down that offer. I was never ever going to consciously set my own pitfall. I was bizarre enough to be displayed at the zoo, but that was something that I would die before selling myself to.

"Pretty apple for the pretty princess."

I paused and turned to the vendor holding an apple out to me. "Excuse me? Are you talking to me?" I pointed to myself. She blinked at me from behind her crates of apples and held the apple out in supplication. Her golden eyes begged me to take it. Now did this not feel and look oddly familiar; the old witch entreating the young maiden to take the fresh shiny apple from her withered hands? Did I look like a foolish broad from a fairy tale flick or what?

I shook my head at her. "I'm not."

"Yes you are, Clow Mistress. Take the apple." There was a twinkle in the old crone's eyes.

I dropped my hands to my side and answered her indignantly. If there was something I learned in my world that I took with me to this world it was not to take that kind of obnoxious tone even if it did come from an elderly. "I was about to say, I'm not pretty." You must be blind, I underhandedly added in my thoughts.

She cackled. "You were about to say that, Princess, I'm sure," she said matter-of-factly.

I shook my head and gave her a watery grin. "Why do you keep calling me that?"

She reached out to stroke my auburn hair. I didn't even have a moment to move away from her because she grabbed my hand and stuffed the apple in my palm. "Take. The. Apple." The words crackled from her thin and wrinkled lips. She shoved my hand with the apple against my diaphragm.

"I don't have the money to pay for thi…" I began.

"A gift for you, My Mistress," the vendor murmured.

I took a half step back and hit something rather human-like behind me. "You are hardly recognizable in normal clothes," Syaoran said gruffly as he picked me up by the shoulders and planted me to his side. How rude! He treated me like an inanimate object to be shifted around from place to place.

"Thank you, grandma," he said, flipping a copper coin at her. I watched the woman scramble to catch it.

As he ushered me away, he spoke to me angrily, "You stand out too much. Don't talk to strangers."

"You could have just handed it to her. Can't you see she's just an old woman?" I growled over him.

He snatched the apple that I had been holding against my breast. "I missed breakfast," he replied, taking an enormous bite of MY apple even though he paid for it. I didn't say anything since he paid for something that was going to be given to me anyway. Maybe I should have said something.

I looked over my shoulder and saw that the old woman and her apples were gone. A certain apple story from a Brothers Grimm tale dawned on me. I watched with bated breath as Syaoran ate the entire apple until he reached the core. Surprisingly, he was still alive.

"If you're so hungry you should come over to Touya's place for a home cooked meal."

A dark look smeared his handsome features. "I would die of starvation before I crawl to his house and beg for food," he snarled. "I'm fine on my own."

It gave me the crawly kind of creeps the way he sounded just like me. FINE. ON OUR OWN.

I grimaced at his unhygienic ways. He threw the apple core in an alley and wiped his hands over the front of his pants. He didn't care that he was disgusting me and shocking me at the same time. You see, the Syaoran I knew, was a clean freak. He didn't let anyone even graze him when he was in his Armani or Ralph Loren suits. Hence, he had a driver and a car that picked him up at one place and dropped him off at another. When it rained he made me carry the umbrella for him, so that he didn't have to dirty his hands. I think I might have called it quits if he stooped as low as to making me throw my jacket over puddles for him to walk on. Since he did nothing of the sort I stuck around for weeks. Let's see how this beast fairs.

He put his sticky fingers on the fine material of my sleeve and pulled me along. "There's a disturbance we must attend to."

I didn't need him to lead the way. I could have easily followed the alarmed shouts and screaming a block away. We reached the center of the market. Customers ran every which way to avoid the falling baskets of fruits and vegetables and the flying meat racks. I rubbed my eyes to make sense of what was going on. You'd think by now nothing surprised me. Think again.

Without really thinking, I scooped up an empty basket and ran after the disturbance. You could easily track it because it was bouncing from one stand to another. Like a rabbit. Indeed, it was one of those round rabbits that kept hopping on the tables and throwing the things off those tables with just a lift of its funny feet. I chased after it, attempting to trap the plump creature. The basket I cast about only caught air.

"Show yourself!" I heaved after a good half an hour game of cat and mouse. Just to clarify, I was the cat. I think.

There was some chirping behind me and I stared at the little rabbit with a killer glare. I jumped at it only to meet my face with the grass. The apple-stealer sniggered.

"Syaoran, do something!" I shouted, knowing that the man was enjoying the show.

"There's no harm done," he smiled. "Keep going. You're the one with the magical abilities to seal it."

I frowned at him. Stupid Syaoran. Useless Syaoran. Bossy Syaoran… I'll show him!

I quickly assessed my environment. Meanwhile, the card was busy destroying everyone else's income. I took the opportunity to quickly build my trap. Since the card seemed to enjoy destroying things that were in perfect order I assembled a new stand, so that it was in perfect order. As I worked I shouted at Syaoran, "If you're going to be completely and utterly useless, you might as well tell me what you see."

"It jumps," he answered lamely.

Yeah, that's my dumb boss for you. The rabbit landed and so did I. I pounced on it my hands wrapping around the bubbly card. "I've got you now!" With my wand slipping from my hand I spoke the magical terms; "Return to your power confined, Jump!" The rabbit exploded and left only a card crushed in my arms.

I turned my sneering face at Syaoran's retreating form. "Jump!" That made me rise into the air and land right on top of Syaoran. He sputtered furiously. I was off and laughing as he howled at my back. "Of all the indecent women in the world you win the medal!"

I was a mess when I turned up at the house for supper.

"What happened?" Touya asked with wide eyes.

"Was it violent?" Kero asked in alarm.

"How many cards do you have now?" Tomoyo asked, laughing inwardly. I could tell she was sharing a laugh with herself by that cocky smile I recognized.

"A run-in with your average Clow Card. It was not the violent type, just The Jump. That's four in total, now," I answered all of them.

As Kero took the place next to mine at the table he said, "You're a lucky one, Sakura."

"Why?"

"The Jump is stupid."

Way to deflate my already almost non-existent ego, Sun Guardian.

* * *

><p>Well? Leave a message.<p>

MW


	6. Chapter 4

"Chapter 4"

I woke to a burning sensation down the column of my throat like an inflamed fist seized me in that area. There was also the blazing light that burned the sclera out of my eyes. This time the flight to the pagoda was shorter than usual. This time, Kero had bolted out of his second borrowed dresser to see what was happening to me in mid-dream.

"If you're having vision dreams, then you're much more powerful than you believe yourself to be. You truly are the card captor."

I definitely did not need to be reminded of what I was. I needed to be reassured that a dream was only a dream. Now, why would a full grown woman like me worry about omniscient dreams? Well, you know how life rolls. You wake up in the morning, clean yourself, and drink your cup of Joe before heading out for your day at work. Clock in at your nine-to-five job and come home after clocking out. Sit in front of your television set or computer for a couple of hours before hitting the hay. That was simple enough. Life did not roll that way for me anymore. What followed the nightmares were a day of Clow Card catching punctured by pleasant meals with the governor of De Ding and his hyper-reactive cousin. Life as the Clow Mistress was not all pansies and daisies. Forget about the nine-to-five job. I don't think the coffee bean even existed in ancient China. Not to fret because I replaced coffee with this really rich black tea they had. I take it black, no sugar, no cream, even if they had plain sugar and cream. Life, in fact, shot at you and you had to catch those bullets with your teeth. If you think that's figurative speech I stand to correct you.

Anything was possible here in this world. Anything and everything passed as normal. Say, for instance, you're walking down the road and someone sells you magic beans that could grow into bean stalks for carrying you to the world above. You could one-hundred-percent believe them unless they're bluffing to jip you off of your savings. Buy the beans and see for yourself.

Needless to say the least, you would have had no right to write off my panicky expression when my Sun Guardian told me I was dreaming of the future. Do you have any idea what a death dream that could very well be my future death scene do to a person unaccustomed to sorcery and bean stalks? It may very well render me useless for the rest of the day. I rather not dream my future death, thank you. I rather not know, thank you. I rather it was never going to happen in reality, thank you very much.

"Don't worry, Sakura. You're not certain you died."

"It had me by the throat and it was swinging me atop the pagoda like a ragdoll. Tell me that was not deathlike again," I managed to sarcastically say.

Kero ignored my sarcastic spiel and scrunched his tiny face into a deep look of concentration. "Your dreams are nothing to take lightly."

"You think!"

"Was there anything else you noticed out of the ordinary?"

"Other than dying?" I shouted, offended that he could be so calm when discussing my death.

My lapse of silence was followed by Kero's extensive knowledge. This was why he was made Guardian I suppose. "When dreams speed up, it means that the day of reckoning with reality is closer than yesterday."

"The flight was faster," I stated numbly.

Kero's frown deepened as he gazed at the floor. There was nothing else he could say to bolster dwindled confidence.

An attendant knocked at my door. "I'm sorry, Milady," she said, "but we are unable to draw water for your bath at this time." Who cared about baths? I was going through a life crisis here and they were worrying about baths. Kero grumbled in annoyance because he enjoyed bubble baths with me. Actually I think he enjoyed bubble baths because of the bubble foams that were in excess in those baths.

I was living the lifestyle of a queen. Right before my funeral. I had attendants and I had my own room with expensive furniture. I had all the glory of the royals simply because I was the governor's charge. Predictable. Right when life started to make sense and I could be satisfied by what it gave me, it was going to be taken right before my very tear-burned eyes. This was the reason why I couldn't live like and with Grandfather. I couldn't die before proving my own worth.

"I won't let anything happen to you, Sakura. I promise," Kero whispered.

I nodded and changed as quickly as I could for breakfast. My mind was spent on these macabre thoughts.

"Pay attention to the details in your dreams. They may hold the key to what you have to do."

Kero and I marched out my room that was now across the hall from Tomoyo's room. Her door was wide open and vacant, which meant she had already gone down for breakfast. We had to walk by my old room to get to the stairwell. My old room still looked like a tornado had hit it or, more likely, a raging giant had ransacked it. The repair men that Touya had hired were still working to fix the windows, the door, the walls, and the ragged holes in the ceiling that opened up to the sky. Movers would later replace the furniture. After the battle with The Wood I was surprised that the house was still standing. I was even more surprised to see that the only damage that the house had to suffer was the damage that was found only in my room. Apparently, when The Wood attacked she chose my room to be the heart of her battle. I was the true target of her feelings anyway.

We walked by the noisy workers. We left the wake of hammering and loud shouts of commands behind us to approach the dining room for breakfast. Kero and I both balked in the entryway, noticing that there were fruits, toasted bread, eggs-sunny-side-up, and cider set on the table. Where was the option of hard boiled eggs, steamed dumplings, steamed buns, pastries, and most importantly, the tea? I watched the governor's angry pacing around the dining table in earnest before staring questioningly at Tomoyo wringing her hands in her seat.

"If they aren't fixed by the end of today, we may have to bring up the reserves from our cellar. Cater to the villagers first. I will not have my people dining in extravagance while the citizens suffer," Touya told this to a man in a red robe and a black button hat with black ears. When I first saw this bizarre Chinese dress code for the government officials I was in awe. I had only seen this kind of dress in TV shows, documentaries, and museums, so it took a while to shake off the uniqueness I found in Chinese scholarly dress. This man was one out of four government officials working for the governor they refer to as 'boss.' Get a load of that.

The official shook his head, shaking those ridiculously long black ears as well. "But, boss, even that will not be enough to satisfy everyone. You release your reserve and the people will cause a riot. That would be counterproductive, Sir." The official looked at me, his black eyes growing wide.

"Milady Clow Mistress, it is an honor to have you here with us…"

I blushed and attempted to pull him up off the floor from his kowtow position. I hated it when they did that. I never want anyone to put themselves so low in front of me. Yet, I didn't have the heart to scold them to stop. Telling them to stop was never going to be enough to get them to stop.

"You do us great honor for coming from afar to aid us in our time of need."

I waved dismissively at him. I was also unsuccessful at hacking into their heads that I didn't have much of a choice in landing where I was. I was getting weary of their sort of worship over me, a rather clumsy, blunder-happy person that I am.

"Sakura can't handle your flattery. You might as well put a sock in it," Touya muttered, flopping in his chair as a sign of distress. "Return to the office. I will be there shortly."

"What's going on?" I faintly asked Tomoyo and Touya who were the last ones left in the room.

"You should go to the closest town well and tell me," Touya grumbled.

That was exactly what Kero and I set off to do.

First we went to a town well in the center of town square. There was already a gigantic crowd in the vicinity. All the males in the crowd were taking turns pulling the lever that usually brought the water bucket up. I stopped behind the crowd standing on my tiptoes to see all this unfolding. One man after another would stand on the rim of the well and heave with all his might, but the lever wouldn't budge.

"It's the same with all the wells in town and village," a child told me, answering the unspoken question niggling at me.

"When did this start happening? There was no problem earlier."

An adult woman, the child's mother answered me, "It happened shortly after your arrival."

I felt my heart squeeze. When there was a connection between odd occurrences and my presence, nothing in the future seemed to bode well for all of them. No one complained, though. Why? Only they knew. I had a feeling that they were living in constant fear much greater than the fear the Clow Cards struck in them. Whatever their great fear was, it eclipsed all their needs. They had been out of water since my arrival and now they complain. They were just celebrating my arrival and now they revealed that they're scared they might die of dehydration? Human nature astounded me there and it astounded me everywhere.

"Maybe I can try my hand at that," I said softly as I offered my hand to the man limply leaning against the lever. I was reining in my own fears; fears of failure; fears that I would fail them.

If the men the sizes of trees and houses couldn't turn that rusty old lever, was there any likely-hood I would succeed in the menial task. Come on, Sakura, I told myself, at least try. Try actually lifting your finger to do a job for once in your life. Stop thinking of working to live up to expectations and actually TRY. Not trying before you died would be worse off than failing by trial of trying.

The crowd broke away to make a path that started from where I stood to the well. I did not hesitate to TRY and get the lever to turn. Manning up, so to speak, I handled the situation quite well. I even got the rusty old thing to squeak at me.

Blowing a puff of air I looked over at the crowd, "Have any of you tried horses?"

"We did that."

Then, a shout rose from the farthest member of the throng. "Help! Help! A man is drowning in a well."

I dropped from the edge of this well and flew to aid the man in the next well across town. I could see almost half a town grabbing at the edge of a rope. Their feet scraped pavement and their hands bore fresh scars from rope burn. Many of them lost their grip, so the numbers holding the rope became less and less.

I took the end of the rope and tied a knot around the head of my flying wand. "Please, Fly. Fly as hard as your wings can take you." The people released the rope and I alone took their place. They were not needed since the strength of The Fly was twice their strength combined. I was still wondering if it was enough, though. "Where's brute strength when you need it?"

"It's giving a little," Kero called from a distance. "I think I see a head breaking the surface."

Score one for the flying stuffed animal that could see so far into a pitched black well. I reached out to stroke The Fly's downy wings encouragingly. "You're almost there."

Then, in one big rush the man was free carrying with him a torrent that ceased when he landed. Before he fell twelve feet from the air, I caught him with the magic of The Windy.

He coughed out a lot of water before he could tell me his experience. "I thought I hit gold when I found some water up to my waist. Before I could celebrate, I heard a rush of water. I tried to swim up, but there was no room in there. I was hoping the villagers would pull me out, but something clamped down on my foot. When I looked it was a ring of water."

I looked at Kero from where I sat cradling the man's head in my lap and hands. He didn't have to voice what I knew. We were dealing with a strong and hostile Clow Card.

"How am I supposed to catch water?" I asked myself when I spilled the juice over my fingers and on my lovely dress Tomoyo presented to me as another gift of hers. I touched the soaked table cloth that we used for supper. Tomoyo and Touya had already gone off to bed, while I tried to hammer out an answer to my own riddle. It was turning into one of those late nights.

Kero heard me pondering out loud as he came down from upstairs. He rubbed his sleepy eyes. "Do you have an idea?"

I actually did. I got up from where I sat and braced myself against the table. In fact, the idea was a clever one that I should have thought of ages ago.

I strode to Tomoyo's room and knocked persistently.

"What's going on?" A sleepy-eyed Tomoyo asked.

I seized her shoulders and shook her. "I need Syaoran's help. Where can I find him?"

Tomoyo smiled wanly. "He's a slippery one. You can't find him in one place. He could be anywhere in town, village, or China."

"Great, just like The Watery."

Tomoyo went away from the door and came back. She had her shawl on, now. "Maybe I can be of assistance."

Eyeing her warily, I replied with the un-sureness of the old me from twenty-first century Japan, "Okay, but you have to be careful."

Her violet eyes glimmered with excitement. I instantly regretted asking for help, but I had no other choice.

I went over the plan to myself just to make sure there weren't any holes in it. Silly of me to be standing at the front door of Touya's house, regretting that I was using his place as another center for my card capturing plots. If I understood Touya as well as I understood my own bully brother, the man was not going to take this well.

I stopped marching up and down the steps when I heard Tomoyo coming out just by the sound of her jingling her set of house keys. Kero was coming out from behind Tomoyo.

I rushed forward. "All set?"

Tomoyo dangled her keys in front of my face. "Certainly! I unlocked the cellar door beforehand. I'll be at the door taking my post there."

I nodded and glanced at Kero. "What's your plan?" My guardian asked.

"Just follow me, Kero."

We traveled to the well in the town square. I think it had been the adrenaline rush that kept us silent and alert. When we finally could see the well up ahead, I drew out my wand and said to Kero, "You told me that the cards have personalities that match their type. The Watery is violent."

"Yes, so what's your plan to deal with that?" Kero was sounding annoyed now.

The knot between my eyes intensified and hardened as I watched him. However, I remained silent and kept one hand extended at my side to tell Kero to give me some space to work.

"What-?"

Kero could not finish his sentence because the moment I leapt onto the rim of the well I started a noisy jig over the hole. I even started humming a tune I could dance to. To add a little spice into the night I sung lyrics that just sprung as I went along.

"What are you afraid of you weak little Clow Card? What are you afraid of? Are you going to hide down there and be a coward? What are you afraid of you loser Clow Card? If you really want to prove something why don't you show yourself?" I turned and bent forward giving my derriere a loud smack. I moved upright again feeling a powerful dripping force surface from the hole I stood next to. I stood steady where I was, feeling cold droplets fall on my hair and forehead. There was a rush of hissing sounds right behind me, like the sounds of the bubbling water in a hot tub. Laughing to myself I jumped from the well and landed on my flying wand.

I turned my head slightly to shout over my shoulder at The Watery. "Come and get me if you can!"

The pounding of my heart, as I ran, was almost painful. Not too painful though, because my determination seemed to mask all sense of feeling. I should have been cold from the sprays of water that came from her heavy blows, but I was incapable of feeling at that point. I was flying for my very own existence and praying that Tomoyo was going to be quick enough to get away when the time was right.

I zoomed by the market place and passed an empty alley dousing everything in water. Not that there was anything that needed salvaging. I crisscrossed my way through the village arena and came up just so that The Watery could keep track of where I was. "Windy!" I called raising that card above my head and striking it with the head of my scepter. The Windy appeared beside me and she looked about her in surprise. She assessed the situation in seconds and I guess Clow Cards new when their sisters or brothers were up to no good because she understood what was happening before I had to voice our problem. "Come with me!" I commanded as I dove into the cover of the houses. The Windy kept pace beside me, sometimes curling her cool touch around me as if to protect me from harm. The Watery was closing in quickly as I aimed myself through the opening of the Governor's front door. I winced in discomfort as The Watery left a trail of her wet self across the beautiful furniture. Yeah, I know. Big-brother-look-alike won't be too thrilled come morning.

I ducked under the arch that separated the living area to the guest area. That slowed Watery's pace in flight ever so slightly. My head was getting too big for my shoulders and I was gutsy enough to look back when I was already meters away from Tomoyo and the cellar door. I stopped at the last minute, throwing myself ungracefully off my wand. I watched my wand spin off course in the opposite direction from where I landed and screamed at Tomoyo. "Get out of the way, Tomoyo!"

Tomoyo wrenched open the latch to the cellar at the last minute, just as The Windy whooshed by us bringing The Watery along with her.

I jumped to my feet, ignoring the bruises along my leg. I reached for my spinning wand and caught it in my hand. I stepped into the cold cellar with them and heard the door slam shut behind me. I grimly stared at The Watery as she slowly turned her furious face at me. The rage in her coursed through me as I held my side of the glaring contest we had going on. Fed up with me, she suddenly charged forward, rapidly wrapping her shifting form around me. I closed my eyes and the fog of my breath suspended in the frigid air as I awaited my icy death. It took minutes to realize that time had stopped down there. It took just as long to realize that I could still move my fingers, hands, and arms. Hesitantly, I opened my eyes to stare at the frozen face of The Watery. Her eyes were stone cold and her mouth was opened as if she were giving out a silent war cry. I looked further following her back and lower to see that she had wrapped herself in a ring around me. I lowered my wand and chanted, "Return to your power confined." The strength of her return to her card form could have easily knocked me off my feet, but I had people to my rescue once again.

Touya was right behind me to catch me. I also saw Tomoyo hovering beside me and shouting out orders to her attendants over Touya's orders to his attendants. I smiled wistfully as all the sights and sounds seeped into the murk.

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><p>Hello out there! I feel like a person stranded on an island with nothing but her notebook and pen. When I'm feeling like that then I come here to disperse ideas and pretend the people I'm writing about are actually with me. On the island I'm stranded on, I also have Card Captor Sakura manga stacked next to the shore. I have to flip through them to get some ideas going. I don't get all the answers through books, so I kind of have to rummage around my head sometimes. I will try to update at least once a month for the next few months. I realized that I'm about (maybe slightly less than) 16 of the way through with this story. I hope to read more reviews from all of you. Thanks,

MistyWing


	7. Chapter 5

Greetings, everybody. It's another day in CCS world. I want to take a moment of silence for the lives lost from the random acts of mass violence that has been going on around this world.

…

With the Olympics being the epitome of the world's attention , it's the one good and exciting thing that's happening. I enjoy the kind of healthy and sportsmanlike competition the Olympics has to offer. It challenges the body mentally and physically like nothing else does. I thought a lot about this as I continue to develop the rivalry and camaraderie of this Syaoran and Sakura pair in the following chapter. I feel like a champion (not at the medaling level, yet) myself having finally finished chapter 5. When your through, please review.

Love,

M. Wing

* * *

><p>"Chapter 5"<p>

Touya could be such a ferocious bear even when he wasn't really my brother! See, this was what happened after Tomoyo, Kero, and I risked our lives to catch The Watery. If I do recall correctly, I blacked out from pure exhaustion and lack of sleep after I returned The Watery to its card form. I must have slept that night and the entire day after that because when I woke up the bear was there to snarl and roar at me. Did you know, for a fact, that the Governor shared the same ugly mug as my stupid bro? Well, how about that? I turned over in my bed even as he kept snorting about how stupid the Clow Mistress was throwing herself into danger before thinking about the consequences.

He went on for a lengthy hour until I was tired of hearing his voice. "Hey, I got out of that in one piece. Isn't that what counts here?"

He glowered as he crossed his big arms over his expansive chest. Meanwhile, this squeaky voice inside my head was saying; when I grow up I'm going to squish you, demented rodent… I never did grow big enough even if I did grow. In actuality I stopped growing ten human years ago.

"It doesn't matter what counts or not," he said rather evenly, "What matters is that you play it safe, so you don't kill yourself before you capture all the cards. Is that clear?"

The governor was walking all over my borrowed home turf! The nerve of him! I felt angry tears well in my eyes as he left me alone to think murderous thoughts of him.

"He gets emotionally unstable when he's stressed out. It's his way of showing he really cares," Tomoyo offered, smiling like a sweet angel.

"Your cousin is an idiot. I never want to speak to him again!"

"He suffers a little from Card Captor Sakura Complex," Tomoyo added, grinning full force.

"He is absolutely the same person as my brother! Barbaric. Loud. Rude. Stupid. The works!" I bounced up and down to express my intolerance for such a man.

"You mean the man, your only brother, Touya… Sakura, doesn't this Touya make you forget you're not alone? They are so similar you feel like you've never left Japan, right?"

Tomoyo immediately clamped her lips shut, seeing that my angry face had vanished. "That's enough about homes! What would you like for dinner? I'll have it brought up, so you don't have to face your brother…"

"He's not…" I started.

Tomoyo shrugged. "Maybe he doesn't see it that way."

I had days of rest to recuperate. Not that I needed days, so I spent those boring days wondering where Syaoran had disappeared to. The last time I had seen him was when he laughed at how I was catching The Jump. At remembering that incident; who cared where he was? He was no help so far.

The boring days couldn't be filled with the usual TV and internet. I blamed that on the time period. I had guessed that I thrived on my being the Card Captor here in this world. There was nothing else I could do other than chase after magical creatures I could sort of understand a little. Kero tried to fill some of those boring hours with me by showing me a few magic tricks.

I handed him the five cards and watched him do some 'rudimentary reading' from the five cards that we had caught so far.

"Forests," he said, which could mean anything ranging from there being a Clow Card in the forest to the forest being the tomb of the second Clow Master. This wasn't very helpful at all for interpreting those reoccurring dreams.

"You've only got five of them and this is the best we can do with just five," he explained, annoyed by my acerbic pokes at him and his magical abilities. "Whatever you can dish, girl, powers me up, so there."

"So the stronger I get, the stronger you get?"

"Precisely," he nodded sagely for emphasis.

I chuckled and reached for him. I grabbed and stretched out his cotton arms. "Well, buddy, I should go hunting for Clow Cards so you can become the almighty Keroberos for all of us."

I swung out of bed and got dressed.

"Doesn't matter how many cards you catch. In order for me to transform into my true form, you have to catch The Firey. My element is the Sun and fire is related to the Sun," Kero told me.

"I'll try not to let you down."

We marched down the stairs. The first guest room I had occupied was fixed, but I had no plans of moving back there. The downstairs furniture that needed replacements had been replaced. I skipped the dining room and strode to the front door. Kero was complaining about everything and I wasn't paying him any care as I opened the front door to go.

A loud roar of nonsense from a crowd the size of the province had me slamming the door shut again. Kero and I exchanged blank looks, but we didn't say anything. I shook my head and tried the door again. My ears met the noise of the snappy crowd once more.

I slammed the door shut a second time and said, "I'm definitely not hallucinating. Kero, are you seeing what I'm seeing?"

"They're in our way," Kero replied.

I opened the door and came out holding my arms over my head. I was not going to raise my voice when everyone was talking at the same time. My arm waving technique was not working. This was a time like those other times when I wished Touya wasn't at his office meeting with the officials. This was a time like those other times when I wished Tomoyo wasn't shopping for new fabrics for clothes. She usually would be home at this time to deal with messes of this grand nature.

Kero's deafening whistle made me duck for cover. The multiple voices stopped shouting over one another. After a minute, I got up from my crouched position and blinked at the millions and billions of pairs of eyes staring at me. People, I should have said, I suffer from a massive, debilitating case of stage fright, so you should all save me from the humiliation and disperse… I wasn't able to say any of that. Maybe I was able to utter a squawk that I, never in a million years, would have recognized as my own.

Didn't this crowd know that if they wanted an audience with the Governor and his officials, they would find them at the government building? Thank God for Sun Guardians who came in the forms of plush dolls for that. "Governor Touya could be reached at the office," Kero said.

The murmurings rose to an incoherent roar from the crowd.

Kero shook his head. "Silence! Speak one at a time! You! Talk!"

The man Kero pointed at shouted over the heads in front of him, "We came to speak to you and the Clow Mistress."

Kero bellowed for him to stop and he did. Kero paused to collect his patience. I truly admired him for that. He handled the situation like any fine leader might, but that left the whole place eerily quiet.

A woman raised her hand. She didn't speak until I pointed at her. "My son came back from the forest claiming he saw a one-eyed demon."

Another stepped out, "I saw a ghost with red eyes."

"Hairy legs!"

"Slime covered!"

"Fire spirit!"

"A beheaded maiden!"

I shriveled even though I was not standing under the sunlight. I shriveled to the point of falling back into the house. I locked the front door, leaving Kero to protect the entry from the outside. I had heard the citizens start begging for my help, but I could not shake out of my shell-mode. Soon Kero flew in through the open window and slammed it shut behind him.

"I was still out there, for your information. Those people are terrified to death!"

"Not as terrified as me," I grumbled, turning away from him and the muffled shouting at my door.

"Demons and ghosts. Again, they are what you are most afraid of."

"Get this straight, Kero!" I snapped. "Little, magical beings with emotional problems who each hold an itty-bitty living space in a card I can understand a little about, but undead spirits coming from who-knows-where I won't ever understand. Any moron would know not to match himself up with something he can't ever measure."

"Ah, so I guess you're going to just scamper into bed, scared."

"I actually will," I said without looking at him.

"You might save them from dehydration, but saving them from drowning is something else."

That made me pause. "Now why would people drown?"

"The Lake at the heart of the forest has been the recreational cleansing area for the people here since the deceased Master Clow Reed's birth. The supposed ghost now haunts this very lake."

I dared to peak over at his smug face. "I hate you," I said under my breath.

I would go to this darn haunted lake, but I'd drag my feet and no one could stop me from that even if they spooked the life out me. I hugged my wand tightly to my chest as I marched in the dark and gloomy forest.

"How far?" I asked Kero up ahead.

"Just a little further. It's a long walk through the forest, but it's less shady at the lake. You'll notice that once we arrive."

Moments like these called for shelter and guardian angels. More light didn't keep ghosts in hiding. They took pleasure in walking about and blending in with the living in broad daylight. Back home, sometimes I could definitely feel them.

Once we reached the lake we circled the perimeter. I kept my eyes glued to the line dividing the grass and the crystal clear water as I followed Kero. He had made a full circle around the lake and stopped where we had started.

"Okay, nothing's amiss," I started abruptly.

"Not so fast, Missy. The problem isn't out here, but in there." He directed his paw out to the stretch of water.

I shuddered and stared out into the lake. "We should just put an 'Out of Service' sign for the public," I muttered.

"If you're not going to check it out, maybe you can help send me down."

"What are you going to do down there by yourself? You're powerless," I answered, pointedly.

"I can at least search for what we're up against."

I chose The Watery card to form a bubble of water around me.

"Excellent choice," Kero said, "The Watery will give you many minutes of breathing time under water. Come up if you don't see anything. We will look again later."

I jumped into the pool and slowly sunk to the lake floor. It was unnaturally bright in the water as if there was something emitting light. I turned in my bubble, not sure of what I was supposed to find. After a minute, I paused at the sound of lapping waves behind me. I turned slowly and looked up to see.

I released a bubble of air without realizing it. "Mom? Dad?"

My parents beamed at me. I felt myself floating towards their outstretched arms and wavering smiles. "Mom and Dad," I sighed, as I broke from my bubble and fell into their protective arms. It didn't matter that I couldn't breathe. They were here!

I was accepting my parents' unrelenting love when I felt a hand seize my shoulder. In seconds, I was abruptly towed up to the surface. Someone was dragging me out of the water. At the shallow end, I felt an arm go under my knees and another arm circle my shoulders. I was being carried back to shore before I could help my parents or figure out what they needed. Why were their ghosts stuck in the real world?

I struggled against the person carrying me away from the lake.

"Stop it!" He bellowed, but I didn't listen. I kept flailing and shoving. I wanted to go back in.

He dropped me to the forest floor and roughly grabbed the side of my neck. He had no idea he also caught some of my hair in his grasp, which hurt like hell! His other hand pushed into my stomach. His muscled leg pressed my leg down and his knee fell to the floor between my thighs. As I struggled his hand pressed hard against my neck forcing me to look up.

I stared into Syaoran's amber orbs. His face was so near, I thought I was having this horrible nightmare of being assaulted by my boss. He glared at me as if I was a menace to society and he was the good cop out to take me down. With the positioning of his hand on my neck there was no way I could break away from his wide-eyed stare.

"Are you alright?" He finally asked in a ragged breath, holding fiercely onto my gaze. I needed this, I guess, in order to tell the difference between the real and the fake.

I nodded. I was going to say something. However, when I opened my mouth to speak, the way his eyes dropped to my lips made all the words in me die. My body felt like white hot fire was consuming it even after that cold dunk I just experienced.

"Sakura! Are you okay?" Kero's question was only an echo in my head.

At the sound of his voice though, Syaoran sprung off of me. I slowly rolled out of consciousness as I watched a ring of flames rise around me. Behind my closed eyelids I saw the orange flames curling around me as they flirted with the idea of touching me the way Syaoran had. Syaoran. Darn that bastard! Where had he been up until now! With that angry thought in mind and the feel of the fire warming me bone-deep, I drifted sleepily into that same dream I've been having every night.

This time I woke just before the light blinded me and the fire at my throat occurred. I jumped a little in my sleep, sitting up so suddenly I was sure that what disoriented me was the fact that I came up too fast and not because I had been sleeping on moss and rocks. I glanced over at the man resting, with his back facing me, in a hammock tied between two trees. That was Syaoran. Then I took a second to look around at the small flickering flames around me. Lastly, I chanced a long stare out into the lake. The lake was a breathtaking sight to swallow. It glittered with the reflection of the stars in the midnight sky. My wide eyes scanned the forest before landing on a bright pair of amber eyes staring intently back at me. I was startled speechless. People like Syaoran took my frightened look as a compliment. It meant that he was as ferocious as he aimed to be.

Syaoran slipped off the hammock and approached me. Silently he handed me a slice of bread and a canteen of water. As I feasted, he stomped out the remainder of the flames around me.

Swallowing was hard and talking was even harder. I croaked, "It felt like the fire was healing me."

"It was as I intended. I used the fire element to push out the cold."

"Thank you…"

"You Twit!" He made me recoil a little with his outburst. "You shouldn't expose your injured leg to cold and dampness."

"Yeah, I should have thought about infection." I laughed to myself at the bewildered frown he gave me. I forgot. These guys believed that diseases came from evil spirits. You know, the sound of evil spirits taking over your bodily functions had not sounded as farfetched as it sounded two weeks ago. Nothing was considered abnormal anymore in my book. Someone could tell me the sky was falling tomorrow and I would nod in consent. Keep an open mind, that's what I learned.

"You were asleep a second ago," he grumbled.

"Yeah. Where's Kero?"

"He went to fetch the governor. They won't be back 'til morning, earliest."

I momentarily looked away. "Oh, I was going to tell him about a detail that changed in my dream."

I took Syaoran's silence as marginal interest and continued casually, "Not only was the flight from Touya's house to the pagoda shorter in distance and time, but this time someone was standing at the door." I brought my thumbs and forefingers together to create a frame with my hands. I looked through the window I created with my hands and spoke solemnly, "I couldn't see who it was, but I heard a bell." I dropped my hands to my lap and finished with a heavy sigh, "It ended before it happened again."

"What usually happens?" He asked carefully.

"I die," I said. It startled me that I could say it so easily without my voice breaking. Don't get me wrong. I hate to die so young, but I think I've come to my senses a little. I was not going to give in to death; not because I was trying to be cavalier. I've survived plenty of close calls and I'd probably have to survive some more, but I seemed to be gaining a lot more than confidence through these experiences. I was building the way for myself without consciously thinking about it. Wasn't this something that years on top of years in training accomplished?

I got up and stretched my muscles. Everything and I mean everything cracked. I moved to the edge of the lake and stopped at Syaoran's severe order. "We are not to approach whatever it is that lives down there until daylight."

"I'm not stupid," I muttered turning on my heels and walking back to where he sat. He had great posture. It must have taken him years to master his posture.

"If that were true, then a very competent woman would constantly try to drown herself," he snorted derisively.

"For your information," I stared at him, my legs spread in a defiant stance, "I was trying to save my parents."

At his blank stare I rolled my eyes.

"You know… The kind of people who give birth to littler people. Those people. They are called parents," I said, cautiously slow. "Logically, everyone wants to save the people they care about."

"If they were truly your parents, do you think they would hurt you?" He suddenly asked.

"If they weren't my parents, pray tell who you think they might be."

"I don't know," he answered softly, as he dropped onto his back. "I've been thinking about it all day while you snored."

"I don't snore!" I exclaimed indignantly.

"Take the hammock. I don't want that stupid governor on my back for mistreating his infant protégé."

"Infant!" I fumed.

"Shut up and sleep! If you insist I could carry you again," he ended calmly.

I all but scurried over by the trees next to the hammock. "I get it!" I called as I lay on my back. This was the first time I was sleeping in a hammock. I could really get used to this.

I could never get enough sleep in this strange world. As I was dazedly drifting off again, I felt something land on me. It was a sheet, to be more precise. I opened my eyes in surprise and turned my head to watch Syaoran's back as he stomped to a tree. He slumped over a root and glared at me. "What are you smiling about, Twit. Go to sleep!"

He could be rude, short-tempered, and evasive, but I knew how he really was deep, deep, deep, down inside. I'd keep what I knew about him a secret because I wouldn't want him thinking I actually liked him as a person. When you start complimenting people about anything of theirs they get the wrong idea. Since I'm from a completely different era and eventually I was needed back home again, I was not going to do any close friendship bonding thing with a guy who barely deserved such attention from me. Really. That's just the pragmatist talking and you could never disagree with her. At least you should not choose to disagree with her.

Dreamless sleep, now that's something agreeable. I slept without having that awful dream. This was probably because I had it already. This was probably the most sensible explanation. Nevertheless, nothing could explain why I would suddenly wake at the crack of dawn. It was probably because of my growling stomach. And the fact that Syaoran was no where in sight! Jeez!

I rolled out of the hammock and landed in a pile of limbs and scratchy blanket. Growling, I kicked the offending sheet and finally got to my feet.

Syaoran suddenly spoke up, "Your cavalry will be arriving soon. I suggest we spend most of our morning working to stop this sorcery under the water."

I stumbled a little and plopped down beside him as he split some bread. I was hoping to get the biggest piece, but he handed me a small piece. He took a bite-size himself and wrapped the rest of it away.

"How the hell do you get so buff with no protein?" I grilled, jealous of his masculinity, believe it or not.

Syaoran gathered a pile of sticks and dropped them in front of me. Then he ordered me to build a ring around the campfire with a few stones he gathered. I was weighing the remainder stones in my hands while I was watching him do that neat trick with his sword.

Syaoran yanked at the leather string around his neck. There was a flash of light before you saw the sword in his hand. He pulled the dead bunny and started skinning it. I wouldn't have eaten the bunny if I saw how he killed it and skinned it, but my stomach beat reason. I wasn't going to pass up bunny for the sake of my morals. I tried to avoid watching him work by busying myself with the stones.

I finished too soon and I looked up too soon because I accidentally saw him spear the rabbit through the mouth to the other end with a pointy stick. I might have vomited if I had any food in my stomach.

He was a pro and I would never say something like this lightly. He had to set his blade down for a second to set up the little makeshift campfire crane to hold the bunny-on-stick. I was watching with mouth wide open as he picked up his sword again and touched the tip of the blade against the pile of sticks. He murmured something and the fire blazed to life.

"That was totally awesome!" I exclaimed.

"You, the wielder of Clow Cards, find that astonishing," he stated, annoyance blazing in his eyes.

"Well, it must have taken you years to train your magical talents."

"Maybe you are not as deserving of Master Clow Reed's magic as you claim yourself to be," he sneered back.

I frowned, turning my nose at him. "I never claimed I was good."

"Then, what was that about proving a point to me?"

"Whoa, whoa, Syaoran, hold your horses." At his bizarre look, I figured he had never heard anyone use the expression. "When I was talking to you back then, I thought you really were my boss. You know… The man I worked for in the twenty-first century. You two are like two peas in a pod, I'm telling you." I tapped my fingers together to emphasize my meaning. "He was a real pain-in-the-you-know-what. He pushed me around and told me to do impossible things. There was this one time he made me buy something for his girlfriend."

"Girlfriend?"

I laughed at his perplexed face. "You know… His lover."

His eyes looked too big for his face and a tinge of red colored his cheekbones. "This man you speak of who resembles me, has a lover. You. You are not his lover?"

Now it was my turn to blush. "Now that's absurd! I can't even imagine being his friend, so lover is totally out of the question!" I cleared my throat and gave him a rueful look. I was getting sidetracked from the story… "Anyway, he made me buy a gift for his date and didn't give me a price range. All he said was," I paused to clear my throat and imitate Syaoran's bossy voice, 'Sakura, pick a nice gift that a woman desires.' Jeez, all I had was 'desire' and 'nice'; how was I supposed to work off of those less than descriptive words. I had to work with very little and I assumed pricey was okay, so I went out and bought some diamonds and sapphires. I didn't really care for the price tag, but he hated the gift and told me to return it. Seller's policy was no returns unless paid in cash. I didn't have ten thousand in cash when I went shopping for his date's present, so this policy ended up putting me in debt. I agreed to pay it off by working overtime."

"You should have asked him about the value of the gift he wanted you to buy before making the final purchase."

"Syaoran, this man is made out of the kind of money that you and I don't have. He is the alpha in the financial world."

Syaoran smiled. "Sounds like quite the male. What warrior class is he?"

I wanted to throw something at his grinning face. No wonder the two were so hideously alike I couldn't tell them apart out of time.

Anyway, I ate bunny for the first time in my life.

"Rabbit," he corrected me.

"You know, this meat would be good for stew, too. Rabbit stew!" I never had that before, but I was willing to try it.

It was getting late in the morning when indeed, Kero would return with some rescuers. Not likely, I should have known. He only brought Tomoyo along.

Tomoyo flung herself at me and nearly strangled me in her worry. "Thank goodness you live!" She turned from me and strangled Syaoran next. "Thank you, Syaoran, for saving her!"

"Good to see you back," Kero stated beside me.

"Good to be back."

"Touya did not return home from work last night, but I insisted that Kero bring me to where you were straightaway once daylight broke. Only I could see to your proper treatment. That was what I thought, but how wrong was I. Syaoran would make the perfect healer if he wasn't so keen on killing the…" Tomoyo drifted off in the middle of her sentence.

"Better we deal with the water problem, so you ladies can return home before dark," Syaoran said roughly, stalking off towards the lake.

I waited for him to move far enough before I turned expectant eyes to Tomoyo. "Keen on killing what?"

"Keen on killing who," Tomoyo corrected me. "I think his story is for him to tell. Not I." Tomoyo followed Syaoran, which only left Kero and me, the last ones, at the campsite.

"Try to concentrate, Sakura. We need to put our heads together," he said.

I shook the questions out of my head and took Kero's advice to heart. As I followed Tomoyo I asked, "Should I try The Watery again?"

"Absolutely not!" Kero shouted in dismay. "Think of something else."

Soon we were at the edge of the lake again. Syaoran had taken out his sword and was casting his spells. I watched in awe, as the center of the pool began to churn.

"That's strong magic coming from him…" Kero whispered in my ear.

Was I supposed to feel threatened? This was Syaoran; the guy who saved me from a early wet grave. If I should feel anything, it would be relief that I had such a close ally to aid me. He knew the ropes to this magical world and how to deal with anything magically related. I could learn a lot from him that Kero could not teach me.

At some point, I realized that Syaoran was using the water element to control the movement of the water. The whirlpool in the center of the lake expanded, bubbling and spinning at the same speed it took Syaoran to wave his sword and arm. It was a powerful sight, watching this man move water with his spiraling motions.

"Look!" Tomoyo shouted, pointing to something bouncing up the waves around the whirlpool. "What's that?"

The Moon and Sun symbol in a detailed circle appeared before us. "I know that!" I shouted.

"It's a Clow Card," Kero confirmed to us.

Syaoran suddenly ceased his spell. I was the first to notice him slow to a halt and gaze at the Clow Card.

"Syaoran, look out!" Tomoyo warned.

The wave that had risen from the opposite end of the lake was slowly coming down. Soon it would crash over Syaoran if he didn't get out of his trance and stop staring at the Clow Card. He was motionless and apparently inept at hearing as well.

I stepped forward and released The Watery from her card. My magic managed to push the wave down. I watched in fear as Syaoran took another step into the Lake. Naturally, I was trying to reach him from where I was, but Kero stopped me by flying in front of my path.

"Stop, Sakura! If you get too close you might get drawn into the illusion again," he warned.

I told Tomoyo to take cover before turning to face this new Clow Card. I used The Watery to bind it, so that I could pull it out of the water and onto the dry beach, away from Syaoran. When it got close enough, I saw my parents again. They were smiling, their sugar-coated grins almost melting me. When I was on the brink of succumbing to the spell again Syaoran's voice asked me, 'If they were truly your parents, do you think they would hurt you?'

"No, they would not," I answered the question in the magic saturated air. I opened my eyes wider to better see my opponent. "Let's go Clow Card! Show me your true form!"

The vision of my parents wavered and dissolved leaving an enchanting woman standing in the mist. Her blonde curls billowed in a magical wind that swirled only around me and her. Our eyes met and instinctively, I raised my wand. "Clow Card, return to your power confined. Illusion!"

I captured a serene smile from her before strips of her pealed in the wind. Left floating in the mist between where she had stood and where I stood was a card. Only half aware of bringing the card to my possession I turned to Syaoran, who was already trudging furiously by me. He walked around me as if I did not exist.

"Syaoran," he didn't stop and just kept walking even at the evident urgency in my tone of voice. "Syaoran, what did you see?"

An answer from him did not come as easily as answers from me. When Syaoran walked away from us, I felt the walls build up around us. These walls weren't made up of metaphysical years of loneliness and fortified distrust, but these walls were made out of the physical parts of a forest; vines, branches, leaves, flowers, and shadows. Tomoyo came to my side and said my name quietly.

Further away, Kero took on a different tone. Kero actually yelled my name. My muscles tensed automatically. I turned to my left, right, front, and back. Indeed, walls did come up from the earth.

"What?" I gasped. Tomoyo grabbed my hand at the same time I grabbed hers. I could see Kero flying towards us, but it was too late. The last wall came up, still shaking in the ground even after it had finished growing. This was not a figure of speech. Real walls now divided three parties. Syaoran, who was in front of me, was now behind one wall. Kero, who had been behind me, was also behind another wall.

Tomoyo and I were boxed in except for an opening to my left. Tomoyo's hand squeezed my hand; for reassurance and for anchoring my fleeing sanity. Boy, was I glad to have her around for this leg of the journey. I was not ready for another crazy adventure, but I don't think Clow Cards were considerate enough to think of me.


	8. Chapter 6

"Chapter 6"

"Kero!"

After a pause, Tomoyo's voice echoed my thought. She was yelling "Syaoran" before I shimmied up the gall to call out for the harsh warrior.

Our only answer was absolute stillness.

I opened my mouth to shout again, but Tomoyo's hand on my shoulder shushed me up right away.

"Hear that," Tomoyo hissed. Then, she released my arm and walked up to a wall. She nervously pressed her hand to the brown vines and waited. I held my breath the whole time she bravely replaced her hand with her ear.

"It's Kero," she uttered. "He says… Find a way out without…"

"Without what?" I bawled, stepping forward.

She gave me a tacit look that meant 'shut up' and pressed her ear to the wall again. In the meantime, I thought I saw movement as if the wall was coming to life. Very soon I grabbed Tomoyo by the shoulders and pulled both of us to the floor, never mind her being angry at me for distracting her again. She would thank me for not letting the wall gobble her up. We both glued our stunned eyes, to the vines snapping viciously over the wall where Tomoyo had stood seconds ago. The walls were suddenly several inches thicker than the original thickness.

We were clinging to each other as we both found our footing at the same time. "We mustn't touch the walls again," Tomoyo advised. You didn't have to tell me twice. "It's best we start finding our way out. We don't want to still be in this maze by nightfall." I agreed one hundred percent.

Subsequently, I took the lead in our group since I was the one with the Clow Cards and wand. Tomoyo always stood close behind me in case a wall might sprout from between us. Not only did I fear being alone, I didn't want Tomoyo to be alone. Out of the four of us that were out here by the lake, Tomoyo was the least capable of defending herself. Kero was familiar with these Clow Cards and would come out fine, I hoped, even without his true form. Syaoran was probably even more vicious than what we were dealing with here. All I could do was hope that we might bump into each other in this maze or the other parties find their own ways out. I should not have worried about the others. Tomoyo and I had our own problems that I should have considered foremost important.

We practically walked miles and hit multiple dead-ends before I stopped us from going any further. We were at another dead-end when I turned to Tomoyo and whined, "There is no way we can complete this labyrinth. Let's fly."

Tomoyo went along with my plan, but the moment we would come to the ledge of the walls, they would rise higher. We tried flying faster, but that only left our hair wind-blown and us panting for oxygen. I gave up and brought us back to the floor again. Flying was out of the question.

Next, I thought of using water, but before I released the magic, Tomoyo pressed her hand to my wand. "You might risk drowning all of us, including Syaoran and Kero if you used that to wash us out of here. Trust me."

I grabbed one of her hands and felt something in her fist. "What—

Tomoyo placed a finger to my lips and brought her mouth near my ear. "I'm using my magic spool to guide us. It yields an infinite amount of invisible thread. Don't speak of it in case our trouble doer catches on." She twirled her pinky in the air and I caught a glimpse of the thread disappearing over her shoulder. The sunlight reflected a glimmer of the practically invisible fine line.

"Maybe you should take the lead," I said, waving her ahead of me.

"Sakura, you're the best leader among us. Keep going and have faith in your direction."

"I have little to no sense of direction," I grumbled as I led us around again.

It was starting to get dark and I thought we were finished for good. When I mean finished I mean literally being knocked out by a Clow Card. Not entirely implausible. Remember all those close calls? Well, this turned out to be another one of those close calls after all.

We knew we were reaching the end of the haul when we saw an orange glow up ahead. Tomoyo stuffed her spool into her pocket and we both ran for it. Once we were outside and in the forest again, we turned to face the opening. Where were Syaoran and Kero at? I knew they were still inside, so the only way to confirm my assumption was to return the card to its true form.

I did just that. I returned The Maze to a card again and added that to my collection of Clow Cards. Lo and behold, I saw Syaoran standing several meters in front of me, staring blankly at Tomoyo and me. Kero was floating right above his head and he greeted us with a smile.

"You were waiting for us?" I asked, approaching them at a sprint.

I slowed when I heard clomping behind us. Kero flew the rest of the way to meet me and landed atop my head, nestling in my hair. As he hugged me around my skull I saw that Touya and some of his men had just arrived.

"Here's your cavalry," Syaoran grunted without turning around.

"The Governor and his men," Tomoyo sighed.

Touya on horseback drew nearest to our group as the rest of his gang hung back in the meadow. "Syaoran Li, I hereby banish you from—

I cut him off briskly. "Oh, no you don't! For what reason?"

He stared at me, over the bridge of his fat nose. "For endangering the Clow Mistress and—

"There were Clow Cards out here!" I argued. "He happened to show up in the right place and at the right time."

"The attendants at home told me what happened."

"Then, you've misinterpreted the information sent by Kero. If it weren't for this man, I would be hurt or worse," I puffed. "Don't even get me started."

"A young woman should not be in the forest by herself."

"I was with Kero," I blatantly argued.

"You are always to be escorted by a human-guard. Do I make myself clear?" The man was livid. Today he would get his way or else.

I could take it or else. I defiantly crossed my arms and took a stance. "You clearly think you have dictatorship over my person as you do over De Ding."

Touya dismounted, lunging in two strides toward me. "Sakura—

Syaoran stepped in front of me, growling for Touya to stand down.

"Syaoran, step aside, I'll take on the governor myself," I stated heatedly.

"You heard the girl, Li. Now, step aside before I force you aside."

Syaoran stood low on the ground a hand stretched in front of him as if to ward off Touya. "Give me a reason why I shouldn't blast the man who threatens the Clow Mistress."

"You know as well as I do that Sakura is safer with me!" Touya shouted. "You live in the wild, for the love of—

Syaoran relaxed a fraction. "That's temporary, Governor."

"You and I both know that only I can provide protection for her. I plan to take her to Heaven Pagoda to speak with Master Wei Fong," Touya explained reluctantly.

"There will be many festivities next week in celebration of De Ding's anniversary. You plan to parade her around the people," Syaoran accused.

"Li, I know what you're planning. You were going to see him yourself. Did you think I didn't know why you stayed so near De Ding? I could provide Sakura a cover on our journey. The celebration will distract curious eyes and if anyone asks, I'll say she's my sister."

"You're the governor. Everyone knows the only living relative you have is your cousin," Syaoran disputed.

Touya propped a hand over his hip. "Not EVERYONE."

Syaoran went dull with silence, stepping to the side carefully. Immediately, Touya grabbed me by my sleeve and pushed me ahead of him. "Li, although we both have the same destinations in mind, I insist you go your separate way. Or else."

Tomoyo and I protested loudly at the same time. Above our shrieking, Syaoran made a vow. "Of course. I would never travel with you intentionally even if the Clow Mistress begged me."

"Syaoran," I started.

"Leave me in peace," Syaoran grumbled as he turned away from us. I watched his forlorn silhouette standing a distance in a stretch of forestry. He was impossible. Just like Touya and if only they both knew! Oh, they probably did know, but continually deny it.

Touya was a tight-lipped man. I persistently asked him who this Wei Fong fellow was and found out close to zip about the guy. Tomoyo didn't know anything either or maybe she was keeping it a secret, too. She excused herself early at dinner and Touya followed suit a minute later.

"What is wrong with those two? All I ask…"

"It seems like they're protecting you," Kero said thoughtfully.

There was no point remaining in the dining room, moping like a sop. Kero and I returned to my room. When I shut the door, the Sun Guardian immediately transformed. Not into his True Form, since I hadn't caught The Firey, yet. I mean his facial expression and whole demeanor that I had been exposed to at supper suddenly changed.

"I don't believe in protecting someone from the unknown by holding back important information. A moment ago, with those two, I thought it was imperative to act like I was clueless."

I seized Kero around his midsection between my thumb and four fingers. "Kero, who is Wei Fong? You do know!"

"A century ago Clow Reed was a powerful sorcerer among many sorcerers in the world. Like many sorcerers, he taught his magic to followers."

"Apprentices," I finished impatiently, "I know. Now, who is Wei Fong?"

"Precisely. These apprentices learn under a master. Clow Reed was never able to teach anyone his sorcery. He was that powerful."

"That's great and all, but who is Wei Fong?" I repeated edgily. I hate hearing myself repeat myself.

"The student closest to understanding a little of Clow Reed's magic was the boy named Wei Fong."

"Wait a second. Clow Reed lived a hundred years ago! How old was this boy he was teaching?"

"He was seven, I think." Kero answered.

"By golly, he's over a hundred years old!"

"I believe before Clow passed away he left something for Wei Fong."

"What was it?" I demanded.

"Hm… I don't remember," replied the Sun Guardian. Forgetful some? Oh yeah and big time, too.

* * *

><p>Yeah, so, I'm sorry this chapter is slightly shorter than what I usually submit. The point of this chapter, other than watching Sakura catch another Clow Card, is to mention one of my original characters, Wei Fong. You'll get to meet him in person soon, so that's something to look forward to. It might be late in telling everybody this, but... I just wanted to remind everyone that we're still in ancient China. I'll try to make it clearer when the setting changes, so you don't have to pull a neuron to understand Sakura's storytelling. After all, Sakura is a bit of a talker, especially in the beginning. She goes off on tangents, but as she grows magically and mentally, her character starts to chill out a bit and her tendency to interrupt herself becomes scarcer. Some of the lightness goes away and Sakura gets serious. I hope that hints to the few readers out there of the pending and very very different sort of ending I'm going to give. Yeah, so it does mean I have a conclusion to this story. One that you will look forward to. I sound like I'm trying to sell this, which I am. Just want a little more reviews and feedback from the community.<p>

Thanks,

MistyWing


	9. Chapter 7

Hi!

Everything is going smoothly and accordingly seeing that I do have Chapter 7 here. I'm pleased, can't you tell? Anyways, my muse is whispering in my ear every night not to give up on CCS fan fiction just because there are fewer readers than when I first started here. He says that this story is one of a kind and it is definitely going somewhere. The chapter after this is going to be squeal worthy! But you have to read this chapter first and give me a nice review. Hint, hint, nudge, nudge, wink, wink.

"Chapter 7"

I learned a little something about myself in the days that I lived in ancient China with my adoptive family, sharing a room with my friendly intelligent stuffed animal. Everyday I was learning a little bit more about the Chinese, but on certain days, such as one of the days we celebrated the founding of De Ding, there was much more to contrive for ourselves. Here I learned that when you strip me of certain twenty-first century guilty pleasures, I would easily find my niche amongst partiers. Yes, that's right. Shy, introverted, plain Sakura fancied celebrations with large numbers of people when it came to the kinds of partying involving patriotic festivities. There was something utterly wholesome about celebrating a territory's birthday over something as frivolous as stuffing your brain with booze to turn you into a glutton for mistakes on any random occasion.

That team spirit stuff got me hook line and sinker all week long. I wasn't Chinese, but the pride in Governor Touya's uplifting speeches might have easily defect me from my own Japanese heritage. Not to worry, I think even after I left ancient China, I only took De Ding and its culture home with me, so the Japanese in me remained intact. The people always made me feel like _somebody_ without showering me with the acclaim I felt troubled at accepting. They allowed me to walk amongst them without the whole repertoire of bowing and thanking in respect for the "mighty sorceress". Occasionally, I got the greeting that you don't get from strangers everyday. No need for the kissing of babies, though, I doubt I would have disliked or denied the idea. I loved and still love children.

The celebration, as Tomoyo told it, lasted a week and across town and village. Sometimes it was hard for the people to even let go by the end of the week because, as Touya had put it, it was hard for the people to let go of enjoyment and face the truth again. According to the both of them, life outside of De Ding was not what it seemed. I was better off not getting the more intricate details for now, so I could fully take pleasure in my present surroundings.

"The path you have chosen to take will be harder than any path that others may take," I overheard Kero grumble to himself when I waited for him to answer my one question of why everyone was so secretive about politics in this country. I caught him muttering also, "It may be the end of the world for just one individual."

I excused myself from his goose bump-and-hair-raising comments to join Tomoyo in her room. A few days ago I had promised her that I would help her prepare for her coronation ceremony that was to be held that day. Yes, folks, my good friend, Tomoyo was going to be crowned The Beauty Queen of De Ding for the tenth year in a row.

For me to explain how this happened would make me have to recall what happened two days ago at the hype of the first day celebration. De Ding actually had a pageant to kick-off the celebration. They paraded the loveliest single women in the province throughout town square. In preparation, the women all wore their best and I was entranced by the beauties of that time. Watching each one of them being paraded in front of the public was a grand showcase because each one had their very own perk. There was no competition the moment Tomoyo was presented last. She could have been wearing a drab robe and still beat the loveliest girl there. At that point, I was shocked that she was still single. You see, she was about the same age as me, which meant that she was well beyond the age of the marriageable. I guessed she had her reason for staying single as I had my reason for not wanting another boyfriend-girlfriend relationship anytime soon. I moped a little when my mind strayed to the event of that day my boyfriend openly humiliated me by publicly displaying his affections for another woman. Why did I have to go and remind myself of what a loser I have become at the age of twenty-six?

"You look splendid," Tomoyo gushed even as she stood absolutely still in front of the body-length looking glass. She had her arms abducted at her sides as three attendants straightened her royal blue robe. I had to admit that, the dress did not only fit the occasion of the day, but it also fit her dot on. With her arms falling and dangling at her sides, you could see that the sleeves were light and billowy. The gold trimming for her collar curved under her collar bones. Lower, below the gold belt around her slim waist her robe opened to reveal lighter blue skirts. She had her enviable black hair put up in those ornate head styles of the times. That glossy black her was twisted in loops, turns, and curls around beads, ribbons, and flowers, which must have taken hours to do.

My own hair took half an hour to fix. My one attendant fixing it fussed over my head. It was quite obvious that she disliked my short hair with a passion. My hair was even shorter than some of the men's hair. I never mentioned the length of my hair to you, so here I go. Drum roll… Yes, it's only shoulder length. I have kept it that way since grade school. I used to tie up some of my hair in loose pigtails at the side of my head, but I outgrew that style in high school. Ever since, I have just let it fall and do whatever it pleased. I guess if I needed to, for special occasions, I would tease my hair into some compellingly elegant style. That was rare. In any case, the attendant spent half an hour, thirty times the amount of time it takes me to brush my own hair, to braid and string beads into the strands of my hair. This was the prettiest my hair had ever been.

As for my light green dress, courtesy of you may already know by now who and if you don't you should, was slim fitting and much lighter than what Tomoyo had to wear. The silk that my green garb was made out of was of a lighter kind than Tomoyo's. It was quite transparent over the ivory dress I had under it. The V-neckline plunged dangerously low over the light ruffles at the front of my ivory dress. It was a very simple dress, indeed, if you compared mine to Tomoyo's.

Tomoyo dropped her arms to her side and the attendants dismissed themselves. "Now for the jewelry that I have selected for you," she murmured when the other women left.

I waved her down and in a strict tone I said, "No. You've forced me into enough of your dealings for one day."

"Delight me with a bracelet, at least. You owe me for not entering the pageant yourself," she bleated.

"That's ridiculous, Tomoyo. I don't owe you for not embarrassing myself in front of the beauties in this country."

"Embarrassing?" She voiced in confusion.

My hand was suspended in the air and she slanted a look at me before clamping a pearl and jade bracelet over my wrist. I puffed an annoyed breath, but I didn't move to take it off. Instead I glared at her the whole time she sat down and took out more jewelry. This time it was all for her because she knew she had me over the edge anyway.

"You would have won," she said lightly.

"You're saying that because you're tired of winning," I laughed.

"If I was tired of winning, Sakura, why would I keep flouncing about these pageants?"

She had a point there.

"The people need a new queen and I think they would have accepted the lovely Clow Mistress." At my skeptical look, she took me by the hand and led me to the looking glass. "Let me remind you that the folks of De Ding see you as their exotic flower. You have golden red hair that's the color of fire and eyes the shade of the purest jade. You have that cute nose that's neither too small nor too large for your face. Then, there's your mouth that's cute when it pouts, but brilliant when a smile graces it. Physically, there's only everything to love about you. The only thing not to like is what is inside the pretty flower. The only thing I don't like, Sakura, is your lack of confidence in me and especially yourself."

I sighed. "I'm working on that last bit."

"Keep working at it," she said encouragingly. "One day you will accept what is."

She handed a sapphire necklace in entreaty for me to help her put it on. I did and the moment I closed the clasp, I think I opened up a little more than yesterday. Who's to say I haven't been opening up already? People don't grow in a day no matter how much they stretch themselves.

Tomoyo, Kero, and I went to the town square together, where everyone gathered for the coronation ceremony. I trailed Tomoyo and Kero trailed me. We started out on our journey side by side, but we ended up walking single file because of all those eyes looking at us with awe. One thing you don't change about some people was their innate reticence. My companions knew what was going on with me, so they did my share of smiling and waving for me.

It began raining flower petals as I followed Tomoyo partway to the platform where Touya waited with the silver circlet in his hands. I stopped at the bottom of the steps as Tomoyo stepped forward alone. I stayed where I was, staring up at the sky like everyone else, as Touya commenced in the ceremony in his judicious manner. I finally leveled my stare at the two on the platform when he finished and placed the crown over Tomoyo's head. Everyone else's attention was divided between the sky and the crowned queen. At last I smiled and turned to look beside me at where I thought the Sun Guardian hovered, but he was not there. I felt like a fool smiling at some stranger who was closest to me even though he returned a smile and stiff nod.

I bowed to him and walked away from the platform, passing through the sprinkle of flower petals. It was a very clear and lovely day for flowers. I stuck out my hand as I walked to catch a few pink blossoms, the crowd not minding my weird gesture much, since they were doing the same thing. I was crushing a few of the petals between my fingers when I paused by one of those tables loaded with arts and crafts stuff that people sell. There were many people selling their wares in this particular time of the year. Shoppers could forget their worries and just browse around. That's called window shopping where I come from.

So, now I had paused next to a table holding pallets inlaid with an assortment of brooches. I had my eye on a brooch that was in the second pallet to my left. It was a sword and I must have thought about reaching for it when someone else beat me to it. The young man, who must have been standing beside me for longer than I had known, had taken the brooch, and at first, I pretended I was interested in something else.

"Are you perhaps looking for something for yourself, Lady Sorceress?" The young man asked.

I was taken aback by what he had just called me. This was a new title I heard after all… This young man did not seem familiar to me. For one thing, he was dressed like one of those rich boys, who's father must've been a government official of sorts. He was definitely not from these parts. I remembered, then, that De Ding's celebrations brought together people from far and wide. I had thought that people from far and wide pertained to those who had trinkets and wares to sell, but then…

"I'm here for the tournaments. The best show up here," he said, giving me a charming smile. I was not blind. Yeah, I noticed this man was broad shouldered and totally hot to boot. There was no denying what my eyes saw and what other women would have seen as well. I only glanced away from his face momentarily to steal one look at the brooch in his hand. I pulled on a bashful look since he gave off this vibe of being a charmer. I didn't want him thinking this Lady Sorceress was suspicious of the item he was about to buy.

"Son of a merchant I am not as able as most men at my age when it comes to the battle of the brawn. I'm hoping this charm will help me win," he said softly as he handed a few coins to the salesman behind the table.

"Which tournament have you signed up for?" I asked, feigning to take interest in a particular flower brooch. It looked like all the rest of the brooches, but I had to watch for something else, so I ventured on this acting job.

The young man immediately noticed my interest in the object that had been next to his sword brooch and picked it up in his other hand. "Maybe I may buy this for my lady."

Call me a cynic from experience, but it took every ounce of self control not to snap a "no" at him. I couldn't risk being impolite to him no matter how much I wanted to somehow voice my distaste for men who tried to flirt their way into my attention. He was just now wearing something that set off some alarm bells in my head. At the same time I was wondering, were these petals getting thicker and heavier in the air?

I looked him in the eye as my hand came out to receive his gift. I was quite surprised when somebody suddenly knocked my hand out of the way. I was so irked I was about to whack the guy, too.

"You run along and do whatever you please without a care when your guardian or the governor doesn't have their eyes on you," Syaoran grumbled, eyes flashing at me severely.

"I lost Kero somewhere in the crowd and Touya's busy at the moment," I huffed. Despite the fact that he smacked my hand, I was glad to see him. I didn't think I would see him until we reached Master Wei Fong. However, there had been an inkling of doubt that we would even meet over there.

I tried to meet his fiery glare, but the flashing of that broach caught my eye and I thought of glancing over at the young man again. Syaoran made it completely impossible by stepping in front of my line of vision and therefore interceding between the young man and me. I was forced to face this childish glaring contest. Put off myself, I ended the stupid game and made my way down the sets of tables. Syaoran followed.

"You know you're quite an idiot. Spells and charms can be cast with a touch to any object in the wielder's possession. Apples and brooches are good foci for such spells," he grumbled beside me.

"Believe it or not, you big bully, I know that!" Actually I didn't at that time, but after he mentioned it I always kept that in mind. "That man was an innocent though, if that was what you were worried about."

He grabbed my elbow to stop me. "You need not trust everyone," he began.

"Not even you, right?"

His eyes widened for a moment before he answered me. "Perhaps. That's for you to decide. But, there are forces that exist in this world that despises sorcery. They despise it so much they do everything in their power to wipe us all out."

He got my throat to clench and close. I barely utter the words that came out next, "That would mean destroying themselves, too. Only magic can fight magic."

"That might be the case," he said, releasing his hold on me, "Yet, you have to be off kilter in some way to commit suicide. Why else would a sorcerer kill another sorcerer? Let this be the start of your lessons before Master Wei Fong takes you on."

"I imagine it's because they hate one another. What does Master Wei Fong want with me?"

"Hate!" He shot me an unpleasant look that froze me in my tracks and somewhat made my question become miniscule. "It's greed. And fear. In the end he breeds the hate."

We parted ways after that note he gave me. He was terrible company, so why did I always long for him to stick around? Aside from all this, I was so insanely annoyed with him for bringing up more questions in me that neither he nor Touya nor Tomoyo would ever consider answering.

I was back at the platform where Touya ushered me into a standing position next to him. We now stood behind Tomoyo as she announced in her cheerful voice, "let the competitions begin! First we will have our relay race."

I did a full circle in my spot to follow the track that circled the center of the town square. Yes, I must have been distracted not to notice that there was a track around us. The rain of flowers was getting steadily heavier.

"I can't even see my hand in front of me!" Someone complained in a distant voice. I concurred without even trying out that task.

As it was, I barely made out the figures lining up at the starting line. There were probably four or five men on each team racing for the win. What was the prize if they won?

"A kiss from The Queen," Touya grumbled in annoyance.

I chortled and wallowed. "You must be so thrilled, Mr. Governor."

"Put a sock in it," he growled back.

The way he rudely snapped at me to shut up didn't make me walk away from him. The uncomfortably thick sheets of petals in front of us actually made me move closer to the governor until our arms actually brushed.

"Um, Touya," I managed to say quietly.

At this he took my arm and tucked it under his. "They're just flowers."

There was a loud sound of firecrackers to initiate the race followed by my wavering voice. "Yeah, but where are they coming from?"

As the race progressed, I heard the younger ones in the crowd crying and complaining. "I can't breathe!" The runners were now wading through chest high flower petals. I only hoped that parents and guardians had the sense to pick their children up from the ground. There was no weathering this for the children. Soon there was going to be no weathering this for us adults.

"This isn't normal!" Tomoyo shouted as she slammed into me.

I pulled away from both Tomoyo and Touya. "I have to find out what's going on."

"These petals are coming from up high. Check the rooftops," Touya insisted.

I summoned The Fly and flew to the rooftops. When skimming lo and behold, guess what I saw?

I saw a pretty girl wearing flowery, puffy pink, twirling in mesmerizing circles. She danced and leaped in clouds of flower petals. There wasn't even any music, so she was probably dancing to her own make-belief tune.

"Hey," I shouted angrily, "Stop this at once! You're disrupting the festivities!"

She finally noticed me and danced over.

"Hey," before I could finish shouting at her, she pulled me into her arms and twirled me around. What was wrong with this girl?

"Sakura, put your foot down!" I recognized Kero's voice popping into my ear. "Don't let her take you around!"

Now, the girl started humming aloud as she danced us around. My head was spinning in the circles that she was dancing us in.

"She's jealous that she wasn't invited to the party. That's why she's showed up and made a muck of things."

I broke away from her arms and yelled at her, "Now's the time to celebrate, but you have gone completely overboard. Your playfulness has become dangerous!"

She stopped to truly assess who I was. For a moment we just stared calmly at each other before her face broke into a silly grin and she became crazy again. She came up and crushed me in a bone-breaking hug.

I had to gasp to let the words out, "Flower, I command you to return to your power confined!"

There was a sound that reminded me of a sigh. Then, a storm of magical energy picked up and encapsulated us. The girl clad in pink slowly ebbed away and became a Clow Card. I was kneeling on the roof top when Kero flew over to me. "You are very slow at catching on," he said.

I was staring at the remains of desert stains around his mouth. I glared daggers at him and yelled, "You are completely out of order, Kero! Where have you been? Eating cake, I suppose!"

"This isn't England. In China we have pastries and dumplings, both very good and very free here."

I released my angry energy and returned the Clow staff to its key form. Taking in a lungful of air I grabbed him by his little legs. "Get me down from here, Fatty. You need the exercise." I pulled him to the edge and made him drop me two stories from the building. I landed smack dab at the finish line on the track. I made the Sun Guardian take one end of the tape as I scrambled and took the other end. We were just in time for the winning team's last runner to tear through the finish line.

Kero kept complaining indignantly at how indecently I ordered him about, but who cared what that little plump complainer had to say. We were off to the next round.


	10. Chapter 8

"Chapter 8"

Tomoyo looked out into the crowd of countless heads. She let out a huffy sigh and said in disappointment, "I was hoping Syaoran would participate this year."

"You seem to assert yourself at making others spectacles on your watch," I replied stiffly.

"Because I care about the both of you," she sighed again. "Particularly, I love you."

I met her twinkling eyes and stuttered a reply, "I love you, too." I didn't think I ever told anyone I loved them before, but I was not lying when I told Tomoyo that I did love her. She was the closest person to me in both worlds. She was someone I could rely on and trust no matter what. How long have I known her? Although it had been a month since we had met, I felt as if I had known her all my life.

Love has to be one of those strong words that make you unsure and tingly. It's not a word someone throws around on lightly. I never used it because the closest to me in my world were my brother and my great grandfather. It wasn't that I didn't love them. You just don't use that word often or at all when you think about them. Love was a silent topic with my family. A given.

"Not in the way that you think," she said, smiling innocently. "Maybe you'll get it when you're older."

I "hmphed" at her, but she talked right over me. "Syaoran could've at least presented himself at my coronation."

"I saw him earlier."

She raised a brow. "Oh, did you?"

I watched her like a hawk because I hated when she simpered the way she did. It made me highly uncomfortable and ultimately suspicious of this friend I loved dearly.

"He tends to show up when you're alone."

I waved my hand dismissively. "He thinks I'm the type to run into trouble when I don't have anyone babysitting me. He's an irritating presumptuous male specimen."

"That's nice," she said in her sing-song voice. "But what do you think of him?"

"I told you. He's an irritating…"

"There, you two!" Touya exclaimed. "Get settled in your chairs they've prepared for you at the arena. There're more prizes to go around."

As Tomoyo and I, arm and arm, followed the general crowd towards the arena, I said to her, "You're going to be kissing your mouth dry before the day ends."

"They are all deserving and it's all in the fun of the holiday," Tomoyo replied eagerly.

"By the sound of it, you enjoy kissing strangers," I said lightheartedly.

When we settled in our chairs it took Touya nearly an hour before he could join us. He seemed to be in one of his fouler moods. I could tell by the way he slumped into his chair and started speaking under his breath. I sat at Tomoyo's left while he sat at her right and I could still feel his negative energy clawing at my side.

"Governor," I started.

He snapped to attention and began rambling angrily, "It's enough that I have to put up with men lining up for a kiss from my young cousin, but for any man to have the gall to suggest such an atrocious—it's dishonorable!"

"Glad to hear that I am second to all your troubles today, Cousin," Tomoyo giggled.

"Nonsense! You should be caged, you little song-bird. You take too much pleasure in tormenting me with these silly games."

Tomoyo smiled. "What's the problem this time? What does one of the contestants want if he wins?"

"Not a kiss from you," he grated at Tomoyo. Our eyes met when he looked over the crown of Tomoyo's head to stare at me, "But from you, Clow Mistress. What do you say to that?"

My brain went ker-splat. I didn't answer him.

Touya broke eye contact then and continued sullying the person with the gall to exchange tournament prizes. "Such folly! He thinks he could have first rights to the honorable Clow Mistress just because of his ranking in society. Commoner that Sakura is, he thinks only of himself and to suit his own perversion."

"It's better than having Tomoyo kissing fifty champions. If it's just a kiss to their foreheads, I don't mind," I finally replied, "I never thought of it."

"It would make the games more exciting and bring out more last-minute fighters if there was a second and better incentive to win," Tomoyo added.

"Nonsense!" Touya cried, dragging the word out.

We were all still in that heated argument even as the man behind us rang the gong. I didn't know that the fighters had already lined up in front of us in the arena. They were all kneeling, but my eyes were only on one particular fighter.

The man who had rung the gong was now reading the rules. When he finally snapped his long scroll shut I took in a deep breath. Touya was addressing the one I had been keeping my eyes on. "Rise and speak." Under his breath he added, "Snob."

The young man stood and his stare connected with mine. His eyes swirled dark and gray; duller than they were when I had first met him. "I am one of many who travel from far away to join in these games. I only wish for the prize to be of the champion's choosing. Governor, I believe the champion has a say in the prize."

"You came all the way from the shores to tell me you don't wish a kiss from my fair cousin. You insult her, Sir."

"I see clearly that Lady Tomoyo is truly a beauty in this country. I humbly apologize to her if I have unseeingly slighted her today."

"Apology accepted," Tomoyo beamed.

"I actually… Wish for a kiss from the Lady Sorceress. If she finds me worthy enough-"

It was my turn to talk. My feet brought me to stand and I stood staring down at him in poised wonder. "Of course you're worthy if you win," I said. That was as good a 'yes' I could have managed to anyone.

I watched the matches on the edge of my seat. I felt myself jolt at every take-down I witnessed by the young man with the brooch who wanted a kiss from me. Was he supposed to be that talented, I wondered?

"What's wrong?" Tomoyo asked, "Your frown has been deepening over that young fellow. Do you not like him?"

"There's something not right," I answered in a whisper, so that Touya could not overhear us. "It's unreal that a scholarly son of a merchant should have such unfathomable sword skills. I can't help but notice that brooch flashing when he deals his heaviest blows."

The sun's rays must have landed directly on the blade of the brooch just as the young man struck another opponent down. The weaker man lay faint on the ground, but ruthlessly the young man grabbed the man by the hair and lifted his sword for a final strike.

"Stop! There's no need to take a life. It's a game. You must abide by the rules!" Touya shouted wildly.

The young man turned to us sitting at our panel. I heard the gong ringer drop his mallet and run behind me just as the young man leapt at us. I shoved Tomoyo into Touya, propelling myself in the opposite direction as the young man with impossible strength smashed Tomoyo's chair into pieces.

I raised my head, shaking debris off myself when Touya shouted at me, "Look out!" I rolled to the side and landed hard on my back as the man struck at me. At this point I figured out that he was after me and only me.

I jumped to my feet when he had the tip of his sword jammed in the two floorboards. I whirled around to tell anyone close by to get out of the way. The only one who stuck around was Kero. He was as mad as ever. "He isn't aware. This one's got his conscious."

I did a forward roll on the floor to avoid being cut in half in the midsection.

"I have to stop him without hurting him," I said, scrambling to my feet and running. I spun around when I hit the barricade circling around the arena. My wand materialized in my hand as I whirled around to face my attacker. At the same time, Syaoran suddenly landed in front of me. He blocked my attacker and pushed him backwards with ease. With a strong wave of his arm, he pushed me behind him and shielded me entirely.

"Syaoran, let me handle this. He doesn't know what he's doing. You can't hurt him, okay?"

Without breaking eye contact with his opponent he growled at me. "Shut up! Do as I say; stay behind me!" He grabbed me by the shoulder and shoved me at Kero. Briefly he narrowed his eyes at Kero and me. "Keep her safe."

They both charged at the same time, blades clanging, and sparks were flying. They jumped apart and came clashing time and time again for what felt like hours. Syaoran was human, but the young man was running on fuel that was not so human. I could see that even though Syaoran was trying his best to hide his fatigue, he was obviously worn out.

"The brooch!" I called momentarily distracting Syaoran. He was knocked down by a kick from his opponent that made him fall hard. I didn't think, but just sprung into action. I jumped onto the guy's back and pawed at the front of his left breast. I ducked twice when twice he tried to decapitate me.

I heard more than felt the tear of silk when I pulled at the cold metal brooch I had my hand over. The spell broke and the man was stumbling around for a moment. He was falling and I was going to be crushed by his weight if Syaoran hadn't grabbed him by the front of his collar and seized me by my shoulder to pry us apart. I might have protested angrily at the cruel way Syaoran tossed the guy aside, but I was made completely speechless when he clamped his arm around my waist and dragged me to his side. I didn't think he realized who he was hugging until Kero screamed, "Quickly, seal that card!"

I took the task the moment Syaoran dropped his arm from around me. I was dreadfully dead tired from that day's work and excitement, but when I looked to where Syaoran had been standing, I noticed he was gone.

I spent that night too troubled to sleep. I was torn by Syaoran's actions and words of that day. He was both ruthless and gentle and that was never going to make any sense to me.

I went out at night to clear my head. Mainly, I wanted to avoid dreaming again. I was not stupid enough to tell anyone I was going for a walk when everyone else was going to be in bed. After all it had been a long time since I ever had any "me time". I was lacking in that because I had uncovered a new life.

I stood at the back of the house, looking at all the dark windows. They were painted in moonlight. I glanced higher into the night sky and stared at the moon. It blurred a little. Then, something blotted the center of the round silver sphere. It was the winged figure in my dreams. I took a hurried step back as my eyes remained glued to the surface of the moon.

"Watch where you step," said the man behind me.

I spun around, my hardened features relaxing a fraction. "Oh, it's you."

Syaoran stepped from the shadow of the building and came up to me, so that we now could clearly see each other in the moonlight. "I thought I told you," he said, leveling his stare on me.

"Yeah, stay out of trouble; be in bed by nine. I don't mean to get in trouble, you know," I sighed wearily. I was going to step back a little, so that I had a bit more personal space again. I just turned my head to look at the unblemished moon. I must have been hallucinating earlier.

His hand came out to grasp my shoulder and that stopped me from moving. "The thing about you that I can't stand…"

I worked my throat to stop from shouting at him about the million things I couldn't stand about _him_. Instead I kept quiet and gave him the floor.

"I can't stand that you put others in front of yourself. You should know your existence is significant here." he added.

"What about you?" I retaliated, angrily, "You threw yourself in front of me when I was being attacked. Couldn't it be the end of someone else's world if you weren't around anymore?"

"I'm not reckless like you. I know my own strength and I see my opponent's weaknesses."

I glared. "If anything happened to you, there will be people who care, Syaoran. I know I would." I folded my arms in front of me, forcing his grip to drop.

"You care just as much for strangers."

"Maybe it's because I can't help caring about others, alright? You may see it as my Achilles' heel, but I really don't give a hoot what you think," I retorted. There was a brief silence that lingered and it gave me the chance to relax in his presence. That was a rarity since this guy's being always got me going tense.

"Thank you," he said after a moment. That had taken me aback. "For saving me today," he added as an afterthought. "But after today and many other close encounters, I do believe you'll be in need of this."

He revealed a silver necklace. I stared at the silver pendant hooked to the silver chain and held my breath. It had the "guard" character in kanji. He unhooked the clasp and placed it around my throat before I could protest.

"It once belonged to my mother."

"I can't accept this," I burst.

"It's women's jewelry. You have better use for it than I do."

"Syaoran. I. Can't. I have nothing to give back to you in return."

"You're acceptance and your word to listen to the Governor and Tomoyo are all I need."

I grabbed his wrist to stop him from disappearing again. "You know that's not going to happen."

He paused for a breathless moment. I stared at the shadows cast across his face. "Perhaps you can repay today's dutiful champion." He leaned forward, so that only the lower half of his face was still in shadows. I studied the fire in his eyes that seemed to suddenly glow to life in the darkness.

"What do you want?"

"Naïve twit," he mumbled.

I remembered opening my mouth to say, "You're a-." At that precise time he snatched the disrespectful name I had for him by touching my lips in a chaste kiss. For that brief moment the area right underneath the pendant stirred. Something was wrong with my mind—my heart. He broke away and disappeared before I could respond. I ended up staring into the darkness where he had stood, my cheeks flaming and my mind reeling.

This was all a dream. I was able to convince myself it was all a dream for the next few days. All my future encounters with Syaoran would definitely define this moment as the dream that it was. And for your information, I never took off the necklace because I thought that if I removed it, then it would be forgotten just like most dreams.

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><p>MistyWing here and surprise! What is Syaoran thinking? And what is Sakura thinking he's thinking? There's only one reason why he gave her his pendant and claimed his prize; the obvious reason is of him being interested in her... But to what extent? And to what depths? Because that's really what's important. It's fun to keep you all guessing and it's even more fun to keep giving you hints on the conclusion I have in mind. It's going to be a grand conclusion although that's far far far into the future. However, with the pace I'm going at, I should be done before the year ends. I <span>should<span> be, but I usually tend not to be. We'll see how it goes. Questions, comments, exclamations, and your kindly written criticisms are what I'm waiting for. I'll spit out another chapter by Thanksgiving (American Holiday) if you write me a review. I never thought it would come to this. Me bribing for your words of wisdom. Please.

Love, MW


	11. Chapter 9

**Hello again. I'm dropping off another chapter as I trudge along studying for exams. I feel like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders. Maybe because I get this break.  
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**As you delve into this story take notes. I'm kidding. The last thing you want to do is take notes. Just relax, enjoy and review. Even though this might not be a very relaxing read. It's exciting.  
><strong>

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><p>"Chapter 9"<p>

Bells. The chiming of sweet bells clearly splitting the horror and pain from my body was a boon to my entire being. I felt the tension fall from me and I felt the ring of fire withdraw from my neck. All the normality returned due to the convivial jingle of bells. In this dream, I was turning from the enemy to follow the song of that lovely sound. I tried to blink away the tears that had fallen in my battle for life, so I could stare at the sole person ringing the bells for me. Who was it? I got a glimpse of an indistinct shadow under the curve of the roof. Garments fluttering in the night breeze and two ribbons of silk streaming under the glittering gold bells held in the outline of hands were the only things distinctive I could pick out. Then the tide of wakefulness took over and I was lying on my back, staring up at the plastered ceiling.

When I woke I respired for a while, too stunned to move from my position. I probably laid there for another hour before I actually got off my back. What got me up was someone knocking on my door. At first it was soft and slow, but then it gradually grew insistent. After the third consecutive sequence of knocks, I sensed the person was going to break down the door if I did not answer. Kero complaining for me to answer the door probably was the extra spice to get my limbs moving.

I had my wrap halfway up my shoulders when I went to answer my door. I met with a disheveled governor on the other side.

For a tenth of a second I thought I noticed the surprised look on his face. It must have vanished when he saw that the door was opening for him. "We have reached the peek of the holiday. Now is the best time to prepare for our journey to Heaven Pagoda. I wanted to let you know that you should be ready by noon."

I glanced behind me out the window. I still wasn't sure how to tell time by looking at the height of the sun on the horizon. I tended to ask people around what time it was to get things done on time. Here in China, people lived like spiritual soothsayers even though most of the people didn't have magical abilities. I figured, when you didn't have the trappings of modern day technology and advancements to distract you, you get a lot more out of daily routines and work in general. You didn't have to be magically oriented to have a magical creature tagging along although in most cases, that was the case. There were times when I went out and I sensed other sorts of wizardry—other than the Clow Cards—that were of the minute kind of magic. Kero was always telling me that the best of the sorcerers knew other sorcerers just by feeling their magic. The more Clow magic I sealed the more control I'd have over this sixth sense for finding other magicians like Syaoran or myself. No one was stronger than Syaoran; not even myself, but if I said that to Kero that might earn me more hardcore history lessons I could not bare anymore of. The little Sun Guardian was always speaking of "Mastery of the Stars" required mastery of the history that has been written by the stars. This stuff was more mystical than fraudulent. However, I declare that it was more humdrum than stimulating. I took the lessons and sometimes Touya pitched in by throwing in political nonsense essays. They were all in Kanji and some of them were in calligraphy-style Chinese which took tedious amounts of time to translate. I should have never told them or shown them that I could read their native language.

Touya was handing me a few worn scrolls that he wanted me to look over if I had time while he stood staring at me in my rumpled form. I wasn't going to tell him that I would purposefully take my innocent time packing instead of pouring my blunt mind over such boring work. It was at this moment that I took notice of the puzzled expression on his face.

"What?"

He studied my face. "Were you here all morning?"

I made an annoyed face at him. "The only way to get me out of bed that early is if there's something grandiose going on. Or a Clow Card sighting."

He dropped the face and looked pleased at my answer. "Good. It just sounded so unlikely for you to be knocking things over at the rice store earlier this morning; must be some lowly trick by an admirer who wants your attention."

I shook my head. "I wouldn't be doing something like that anytime of the day."

"Yes, I told that to the store manager who came to the house to file the complaint. Maybe you should look into it?"

I gazed around me again and noticed Kero coming out of his shelf. He was still very groggy eyed.

"Change first," Touya added with this stern scowl on his face.

"I don't need you telling me, _Old Man_." I shirked his comeback by slamming the door in his face.

Tomoyo and I went to the tea house just a street away from home after we both finished packing. We were always given the seat right on the veranda, so we could get a perfect view of the town. I discovered that this was my favorite establishment in all of De Ding and probably in all of China. We were enjoying the weather and drinking tea as usual when I noticed a storm cloud of sand passing by the view we were enjoying. The next thing that I saw had me spitting tea to the side and choking on the leftover droplets in my esophagus. Tomoyo was on her feet in an instant to slap me on the back several times.

I still could not get that picture that had flown through our viewing spot out of my mind. I recognized the smirk. I recognized the essentials such as the eye color and hair color. Heck, I recognized the build of the character. The hair color was red and the eye color was green. The smirk she wore was one of the savage sort, I could never see myself expressing unless someone got me in tight knots, but that runner that left a trail of dust in front and behind her was undoubtedly me.

I had already brushed aside Tomoyo's worried hands and gotten out of my chair to jump over the balustrade that blockaded the tea house from the outside when a group of sniveling ten-year-olds came up to me. Two of them bowled me over when they slammed into me. They continued crying into my skirt as the other wailing children circled us.

"Why Clow Mistress Sakura?" One of them asked me. I cupped a hand over his head.

"Why did you knock down all the almond candies we made to sell at the festival?" The second one clinging to my thigh finished on a high note. I stroked her little head and apologized to the lot of them for something I did not do. When you were just too shocked to do anything but to apologize for someone else's faults, you manage. I was stunned stupid because I had never seen so many children cry because of me. Syaoran was going to call me stupid again for this little heartfelt act of mine.

"Children, Sakura has been with me the whole time," Tomoyo said as she leaned on the banister, too refined to jump over it as I had. When Tomoyo got their attention, she pointed to our two cups of tea. "See?"

"Then, who was that person that looked like Sakura?" They asked in unison.

I wanted to know the answer to that question myself, so I left the children with Tomoyo and followed the tracks of the imposter. Meanwhile I kept asking myself, what was I dealing with here today? Who was disguising him or herself as me to wreak such havoc on my reputation? Were these hateful actions committed to harm even though they're just petty crimes? What should I do? I kept running these questions in my mind, but I only met a dead end to my doppelganger's tracks.

I just ended up back in my room. Kero buzzed in my ear as he flew back and forth behind me. "You're on the right track. This doppelganger's out to ruin your reputation and make the people distrust you."

"Was it actually a Clow Card?"

Kero stopped and hovered in a sitting position just in front of my line of vision. "Smart girl! I wouldn't rule that one out either."

"The Clow Cards I've met so far have directly attacked me."

"That's because they all know you," he cut in.

"If it was a Clow Card it should have directly attacked me. Why injure my integrity?"

"Your integrity also means something to you," he stated simply.

"These guys… They know me so well," I said, reaching for my cards that I had left on the bed upon my return to base. I took them and aligned them on the floor. "They are clever enough to hurt me in other ways that aren't physically abusive to my person."

"You are suggesting emotional pain," Kero said thoughtfully.

"Correct." I suddenly shot to my feet as if lightning had just struck me. I stared earnestly into Kero's face. "Where's Tomoyo?"

"She came home before you did. She went to her room to rest before the journey. You don't think the card might attack Tomoyo, do you?"

I thought a lot of things. I thought Tomoyo, Kero, Touya, or Syaoran could be in immediate danger. I couldn't put it pass a Clow Card that it wouldn't attack close to home where I was around. Well, at least I have enough time to spring into action if the Clow Card did target someone nearby.

I faced the cards I set by my feet and chanted; "Oh, Power of the Clow Cards, answer my question." I closed my eyes and flipped the card that glowed in the center of the arrangement. As I picked it up to turn it over I told Kero, "This card tells us about the present danger we have to face."

Kero stared vacantly at The Flower. For a minute I believe I shared the same expression, but then it all changed when I felt something soft brush my forehead. A small peach blossom caught in the tangle of my bangs. I drew it out and stared at it. A thought hit me, then, so I hurried out of my room and slammed through Tomoyo's door. Indeed she was getting ready for a quick nap.

She let out a startled gasp as I puckered my brow at her. "What's happened?"

Before she could finish, I abruptly asked her, "Where's Touya?"

"He went to get the coaches ready. What's this?"

"Stables?" I queried.

She nodded.

I snapped my fingers and rushed over to the stables. I could hear my companions close behind me. By the time I was at the stables and unfortunately glaring in frustration at the stable hand as well as grilling him, I knew I was already too late. The absence of the Governor meant more than what the man who groomed the horses had to say.

"Why, Clow Mistress, he was just with you and you left together."

Dread took over, then. "The Governor's in danger."

I raced to Touya's aid, suddenly motivated by a hidden oomph I managed out of thin air. I somehow overlooked the vexation to follow the sense of the unknown Clow Card that was several moves ahead of me. I was flying without wings, acting without thought.

"Sakura, look out!" Tomoyo seized my elbow and at the same time I braced the heels of my feet over a cliff ledge. Now that we had all stopped in the nick of time to catch our breaths Tomoyo leisurely plucked at the brambles and leaves that were caught in my hair and clothes. She looked pretty wild herself, but I didn't pay too much attention to that. I was staring down the cliff, shifting my weight to better see. Tomoyo's nails dug deep into my arm.

I gazed fearfully, heart in my throat, blood throbbing in my head, and terrible atrophy in my major limbs. I saw Touya in the company of a young lady who looked exactly like me. At first, I thought he was unconscious with the way he looked. The Governor was a wrinkled mess with a dreadful bloody head wound on his forehead. He was leaning sideways on the wall at the bottom of the cliff as he turned to the person who looked like me.

I thought I heard him say, "I won't leave you alone. I want to help you."

I couldn't hear or see her response to him. Since I couldn't hold myself back anymore I leapt from where I was.

I heard Tomoyo scream at me as I plummeted. At the last minute, The Windy picked me up and placed me gently on the ground several yards away from the two. It took me one closer look at Touya to get me in a whirl of rage. "What have you done?" I cried and at the same time brought the power of Windy on the perpetrator of Touya's injuries. She stood stone still with a look of remorse on her drawn face as the wind plucked and pecked at her ephemeral clothes. "Why did you hurt him?"

She turned to Touya and apologized. Then she turned to me and also said, "I'm sorry."

I held my wand out in front of me, the pointy end trained on her magical being, and I marched toward the Clow Card. "He's done nothing to you," I said, unable to withhold the brokenness in my voice. I was so emotional it was quite unbearable to see. I didn't feel as controlled as the times I fought the other Clow Cards.

"It's okay. I'm fine," Touya murmured before succumbing to a faint.

Now, The Card ambled towards me matching her gait to mine. We both stopped at an arm's length. At that close distance it was outright apparent that sorrow and regret consumed her. I hoped she saw my anger, worry, and love all at once. They were all for my brother, of course, as her self-consuming feelings were all for Touya as well.

I tenaciously squeezed my wand between both hands as I stared back at her. She imitated my gesture. Slightly peeved by the copycat, I took a half-step back. She also took a half-step back.

"Stop that," I said.

She repeated what I said.

"Quit mirroring me in every way!"

She paused in all her familiar actions and just smiled at me. My eyes widened as I came to a realization. Without another moment's hesitation, I swung the wand in a downward arc and chanted, "I, Sakura, command you to return to your original form. Mirror."

She lifted her chest as if to heave a sigh of relief. Her disguise fell and she looked like what she was supposed to look like. In her true form she looked to be about my age, except she was more baby-faced. Her hair was darker than mine and much, much longer. Her eyes were pale and, I must add, sweet. Staring into those pale pink eyes I was reminded of cotton candy. I felt my head float away for a moment.

"Sakura, do it now," Kero shouted somewhere from behind us.

I snapped my head to attention, "Okay, now return to your power confined, Mirror!"

Just before the magic of my wand rendered her in her card form, she half turned to kiss Touya on the forehead. Soon I was hugging her card to my chest and kneeling before an unconscious Touya. I felt the assuaging of my consternation, knowing that he was alive and breathing. Still, I was on the verge of breaking down and shaking him. I did neither of those things, but gave him a fast hug, rubbing my wet eyes over the front of his robe. "God, Touya. You're such a buffoon, but… I'm just happy to see you alive."


	12. Chapter 10

"Chapter 10"

The air sizzled with the power of The Thunder. In its original form it was a large wolf with a powerful body of impressive size. All its muscles were made of sheer electrical energy. I did believe that within a five mile radius you could very much feel the energy whether you were magical or not. When it roared, it gave off a crackle that left the hairs on the back of my neck standing. It also had the ability to gather matter and transform it into energy that it could control and redirect; electricity.

The area was deserted except for me and The Sun Guardian Kerberos. I had to climb up a tree in the strangest manner without the use of any magic to get to higher ground. That was not the smart thing to do if one did not want to get struck by lightning. In my case, I was trying very hard to attract the Clow Card who, in my opinion, was the God of Thunder.

I felt the branches bending with the strain of holding me up. My hands burned against the roughness of bark as I found the right purchases here and there. I heard The Thunder roaring from behind me. I turned my head and saw it soaring at me, blinding jaws and brightened claws poised to rip me to shreds if it didn't manage to electrify me first. I gave a resounding shout as I jumped the other way, twisting in the air to face the Clow Card that should have scared the stuffing out of me. It didn't scare me that way.

Staring at a bright wolf was like staring too long at the sun, but I couldn't blink if I was going to catch The Thunder. I reached behind me where I had tucked my wand under the back of my robe. With my body floating in midair I swung and struck the wand at the creature of electricity. I felt the pulse of force unlike any other I had experienced in the absence of parading gusts, vibrant colors, and other sorts of voodoo that told powerful magic in Clow Cards. The energy shocked me when it vibrated through my staff and ended somewhere inside me. It was a current dimming to a speck within me. I wish I could tell you where, but I was kind of too numbed by the strength of this guy to focus really where I experienced the stimulating shock.

I landed ungracefully on my bottom and tossed the rest of me on my back. I was completely prone as I looked up at Kero.

"You looked plain foolish not utilizing your magic much in catching the thing, I regret telling you," he said.

"Don't try to steal my thunder," I said, flapping The Thunder in his face.

He grimaced at my pun and gave me a moment to gather myself before we headed back.

We were delayed from our long journey for good reasons. First of all, Touya had to gather his wits about him and recover from the previous Clow Card attack. Second of all, I had to stick around to capture The Thunder. I was both alarmed and annoyed when I had to face a disgruntled Touya in my muddy clothes and frizzy hair by the time Kero and I got back to the Governor's house.

"We leave at once when you have properly groomed and dressed yourself," he said in his stately manners, but I was not mistaken that he was still very tired.

"Why the hurry?"

"We have delayed long enough. We were supposed to be at the Heaven Pagoda by evening today. Now, we can't be on time even if we started right away. You're belongings have already been brought to your carriage. You will be riding with Tomoyo, Kero, and two attendants. I will be riding behind with Official Zen, my attendant, and two footmen. Make haste," he said.

I turned away grumbling under my breath. I was grumbling because I much preferred traveling today instead of yesterday. If it were possible, I wanted to leave a lot later just to beat the crowds that had massed over the last few days of festivities. According to Tomoyo, though, the throngs out there now were nothing compared to yesterday. Ha, I saw no significant difference in the number of heads out there. Weren't we going to be standing out anyway in our horse-drawn carriages when most everyone else was going to be on their feet?

"No, there will be plenty traveling around town on horses, carriages, and so-on. We will blend right in," Tomoyo answered me.

I complained incessantly, "He's not completely healthy and ready for travel."

Tomoyo grinned. "You need not worry. Master Wei Fong will do his utmost best to rid the pain and scars on our Governor. Why do you insist on staying behind? This trip is meant for you, Sakura."

"I get antsy being passed around and… I don't like the vibe I'm getting these days whenever you guys talk about this Wei Fong fellow."

"You're scared!" She exclaimed sharply.

I didn't retort because, of course, I was. My sixth sense showed nothing but grueling presentiment. It took a lot of my forbearance to ignore it sometimes.

"No way, but forward," Tomoyo added.

I winced.

"Syaoran's probably ahead of us. He likes to turn everything Touya does into some sort of competition."

I threw my head back and looked her way. "He's there?"

"Do you want to see him?"

I got up in a rush. "Yes, let's go!" I felt a renewed vigor that had been dampened by the pressure of stress. If you were actually describing the way a robot works, I went from apathetic to eager with the press of a button, really.

If I recollect correctly as I do recollect most of the eventful moments in Ancient China as clearly as anything else I could recollect, by nightfall we stopped in our journey at an inn called, "Little Treasures Inn." I remember the name because it was as homey as it sounded. Two sisters managed the establishment and I wouldn't ever forget them or their kindness that was neither awkward nor harrowing for me. I was their equal and I was their sister, too.

They helped Touya settle in his room, while Tomoyo and I helped ourselves into a room we wanted to share together. Their unwavering hospitality was astounding. They went beyond the border of awesome service, so I knew there was something amiss.

Okay, there wasn't something _ugly_ amiss. It was actually something quite beautiful. No one, not even a person as blind as me with a stigmatism could miss seeing that their utter respect for Tomoyo and I stemmed from the core of deference they had for Governor Touya.

I received a little bit of secret information from them and put it under lock and key in my heart. Surprisingly and wittingly I learned a secret without forfeiting Touya's confidence for them. Let me tell you how it happened.

I consulted them at the bar when it was late and I knew Touya and Tomoyo were fast asleep. I was having a cup of something mead-like, but not mead and only some kind of herbal concoction, which was astonishingly delicious. They were standing behind the bar and waiting on me. I was fascinated by their docile characters which mirrored each other to the line.

Asa said, "Lady Sakura, it will not do for you to ask us such a question when Governor Touya and Lady Tomoyo wish us not to speak of the dreary past." I could almost catch her saying, "…. A dreary past carrying on to the present," by studying the expression of remission on her troubled face.

Ana, the younger sister said, "However, Governor Touya and Lady Tomoyo had never opposed of us telling you that the Governor helped save our lives."

"Oh, but he saved many lives," Asa added.

"How?" I asked.

"The way that a ruler should. He built De Ding and welcomed anyone who wanted a part of it," Asa answered carefully without really answering. "There were no questions, just total acceptance and trust."

"When a man honors his promises he wins the trust of his followers. Not many men have such virtues. De Ding is vast, expanding from the Governor's House to the wall of the forests many miles away right before it reaches Heaven Pagoda. It grew from a little town to a great land. You may hear some exaggerate and say that De Ding was built in a day," Ana said with glittering eyes. The light in her eyes gradually diminished as she remembered something terrible. "The cost of this land's peace was heartache for our leader."

"Ana, no," Asa snapped. "That's enough."

"Sorry," Ana whispered.

"You're a godsend, Lady Sakura. You bring joy to Governor Touya, so you bring joy to all of us," Asa said.

I blushed as red as a lobster. It's not attractive at all. I've seen my reflection when I'm embarrassed a million times over to appraise this.

"Best of all you bring hope to him and thus, to us," Asa said, smiling sweetly at me. "There's a history in China and in ourselves that's not worth digging up, Clow Mistress, so please do not ask us to dispel more than we have already."

I honored their request and remained silent after that. When the sisters noticed that I was not up for sleep, the younger offered me something in her conspiratorial tone. "There's something I wish to show you."

I leaned in. "What is it?"

"The last Governor entrusted it to us before he died. We should give it to Governor Touya, but he trusted us not to. We must honor his father who also aided us and our parents," Ana said, the crease between her brows intensifying.

With reluctance I said, "Maybe you shouldn't show me this."

"No," Ana said quickly. "We must. He said that the Clow Mistress would be born someday and we would have to give her this present."

I felt eerily uncomfortable as an idea dawned on me. "Was the last Governor a sorcerer?"

Asa turned from her task of shining the glasses to join in the conversation. "Not that we know of. He had a way with words and he was always discreetly hinting at some magical talent. It was a known fact that the magical talent actually ran in his wife's blood-line." She looked at her sister pointedly, "So, what are you waiting for?"

Ana sprung like a rabbit and disappeared behind the door that must have closed on the sisters' living area. When she returned, she carried with her a medium-sized jewelry box. It was simple enough. It was a wooden box with a lock on it. Was I supposed to break into the thing?

"The Governor told us when it was time you would come and open it," Ana said, pushing the box across the bar towards me.

"Is there a key for the lock?" I asked. I didn't want to force the lock open in case I broke it. They both shook their heads in dismay. "Didn't he leave some sort of message for me, like…? Instructions on how to open it?"

They shook their heads and at that point any sudden noise, as familiar as it was, would have spooked me. Though, the sisters didn't almost have a heart attack with Kero jumping out from behind one of the beer kegs in the back, I thought I was having both a heart attack and a seizure.

"The box has a strong magic lock. It's Clow Magic," Kero stated as he flew between the sisters and hovered over the jewelry box. I was glaring daggers at him as he continued, "What? I was hiding out for a couple of minutes. You know, you should have been a bit more tactful if you wanted to roam around in the middle of the night without getting noticed."

"It's not like I'm wandering outside the inn," I grumbled. "Don't you limit me to boundaries, too, Kero."

"Never! You are the next greatest sorceress of all time. I have no power to do something like that. Now… What are you to do about this Clow Magic?"

I looked at the sisters, who both shrugged. Like most Chinese, they knew the legend of Clow Reed, I supposed, but they weren't magicians and they knew even less about Clow Cards.

I said plainly, "Anything so heavily locked must be very important."

"Ah-ha! I remember," Kero said, "this one protects the most precious items to Clow Reed. He used it to shield all his treasures. Odd, though… How did the Governor manage to lock it with Clow's card? Wasn't it supposed to be in the Clow Book?"

"Maybe it has been left unsealed for the past century right after Clow Reed died," I suggested.

"That doesn't explain how anyone, but you could, make use of the magic," Kero replied with the furrowing of his brows.

"There's a reason to every man's madness."

"Master Clow Reed was not mad!" Kero stated stoutly, defending his past master.

"That's not what I meant. The expression suggests that there is an end to a mean," I shot back. Then, I gestured to the box, "What opens a lock spell that was made over a hundred years ago?"

"The Shield opens with The Sword," Kero said.

Of course. That would do it. And that was exactly how I unlocked the box and restored The Shield to its card form.

Our four heads hung over the box, whose lid stood ajar. It was tempting to look and behold secrets of the past.

Asa and Ana finally looked away from the contents of the box to stare at me expectantly. Kero was the one who actually spoke what was on all their minds, "Take them, Sakura."

So, there were two items in there. One was a white reticule and the other was a pink pouch the size of my fist. I opened the reticule first to show everyone that a sweet smelling bouquet was in there, the flowers still fresh and alive. Then, I opened the pouch and pulled out a bracelet that had silvers moons, suns, and stars that jingled. Kero took one look at it and sniffed. "I sense a spell of some sort. It doesn't seem harmful," Kero said slowly. He sniffed at it again. "You should be rid of it just in case."

"Yes," I murmured even though I did the opposite of Kero's wish. That was the first time my gut overruled Kerberos's theory. As my guardian scuffled with drowsiness and headed for bed, I slipped the pink pouch containing the bracelet in the white reticule. Now, both the bouquet and the bracelet were together. Anything that the last governor would leave behind must have some sort of significant impact. I mean, how did he know I would come here to retrieve his gifts?

* * *

><p>Hello, all my awesome readers! I'm making the story more intriguing by adding a taste of mystery. Let me know what you think.<p>

MW


	13. Chapter 11

**Author's Notes: Hey there! Been busy, but I had a moment to post. Getting busier, so I might slow down excessively now. You'll know I'm hurrying along if I get back to this sooner than anyone expects. I'm on demand of about an average of 60 hours per week. I'm sure you understand how that is, so please don't make me think any less of this update and future ones. I want to get more feedback like I used to. Please review!**

**Heads up! Chapter 12 is almost completed because I don't really want to leave you hanging at the end of this chapter. I haven't realized yet how to close up chapter 12, so you don't have to feel like waiting a gazillion years. I'll do my best to serve.**

"Chapter 11"

Our driver was shouting right through that little slot of our carriage. "We will be arriving soon."

Down with Touya's orders to stay inside the carriage! I had heeded his commands long enough and anyway, we were almost at our destination. Amid Tomoyo's protests, I hopped out of the moving carriage, wanting to walk the rest of the way. The moment my feet landed on the soft earth I made headway for Heaven Pagoda I had not seen, yet. I wanted to get ahead of everyone, so I ran. Imagine how fast I had to halt when I realized there was a deep crater in the middle of the road. I wheeled my arms around and around to keep from pitching myself forward into what looked like a bottomless abyss.

"Clow Mistress! Are you quite alright?" The driver called, pulling the horses close beside me. I felt the heat of the animals' flanks.

"Just fine," I answered, maintaining my balance on the edge. I assessed the crater with narrowed eyes. A meteor the size of the moon must have left a mark dead center on the road; that was the only natural explanation.

I paced back and forth around the edge and stopped next to the driver. I saw Touya's carriage closing in, so before he got any closer, I pulled out The Wood and made a bridge for us to cross. I cleared the way, so the carriages could pass first over the bridge. Tomoyo stuck her head out the curtains and gave me a quizzical look. In return I gave her a reassuring smile.

"What are you doing?" Touya asked, as he passed me next.

He was already ahead of me, so I indicated the floor. Touya looked down and gulped the lump that had probably formed in his throat. "You better keep your head tucked inside if you don't want to risk falling again," I told him.

"You, stay close behind!" He shouted before tucking his head back inside as I had suggested.

For the next few minutes, I followed the train from behind, enjoying the natural setting and loving the outdoors. My content and nonchalant attitude was not to be everlasting. After a short distance I sensed the carriages slowing down up ahead, so I looked up at the Heaven Pagoda. The ramification of seeing this building sent chills through my body. I froze where I was because we were about to walk up to the entrance of a pagoda that was the same as the pagoda in my dreams. Hidden in the dense forestry of the outskirts of De Ding was the place that I would die.

I remained standing apart from the group as I gazed up the curving roofs of the tall building. The footmen and attendants were unloading, while the rest of them, including Tomoyo, Touya, Kero, and Official Zen hovered next to the open entry. The doors had been outwardly thrown back in that deceiving way of allowing acceptance. I took another step back, further distancing myself from the group, but no one seemed to care or notice.

At this point, I was ready to run or defend myself. One hand was tight around the strap of the reticule while my other hand was gripping desperately at the Clow Key and Clow Cards in my pocket. I held my breath as I watched a bald monk in a long green robe step out of the pagoda to greet us all. He held out his palm at chest level and bowed at the waist to each member of the party. I was far, far back and too motionless to catch his attention. I suppose Official Zen's figure had completely eclipsed me who was standing a few yards behind the group.

"Sakura, what's the matter with you?" Touya annunciated critically. He stepped to the side to reveal me to the monk.

I met the monk's curious look. He smiled and said, "Sakura, why, isn't that the new Clow Master's name?" He closed the distance between us and greeted me the same way he did with the others. There was to be no special treatment here was the idea I got from the steady look in his coal-black eyes. Stiff as a board I gave him a quick nod, my answer sufficing in that robotic way.

He smiled again, trying to include everyone by turning around. "Come, everyone. Master Wei Fong has eagerly waited for all of you."

I was rooted there, unable to lift my feet. Touya threatened to smack me if I delayed any longer. The bruise on his cheek turned blacker.

Finally, Kero flew to my side to see what was wrong with me. I told him in the way that was only coherent to him. This made his eyes go wide. "Sakura, this place is a sanctuary of Master Clow Reed's disciple. In fact, sometimes Clow Reed dwelled here when he paid his visits to China. He and Wei Fong together had cast ward spells inside and around the premises of Heaven Pagoda. You have made a grave error mistaking this pagoda to the one in your dream."

I looked in alarm at Kero. "But, it was here."

"Come meet Wei Fong and be the judge of his character. This is his home." He pulled me by the hand to follow the monk indoors. We must have climbed a million steps that spiraled around the walls of the structure. Though the stairs were made of solid wood, the floors were made of glass. Monks of every size and age lined the staircase, walls, and floors, making me feel like a specimen under a probe. Kero kept a hold of me until we reached the top floor, where the roof was not a glass floor, but a solid cone over head. The lights were slowly becoming brighter and I could see that this was because the roof was turning clearer and purer. It was almost to the point of being as transparent as the glass floors.

Our party stopped in the middle of the room. The monk who had led us up here dissolved into the monks crowding the room. I couldn't tell which was which and who was who with those big curious eyes blinking at us.

"Welcome, we meet again and we meet finally," crooned the thin-voiced man we faced. He was sitting in a chair, his hands lay one-on-top-of-the other over the head of his pointy oak walking stick. I felt the magic pulsing between the stick and his somewhat glowing palms. It made his hands look slightly orange.

"I hope the lighting is good enough. If I exposed too much light into the room, it might take a moment to adjust, which would be very hard on some of you. I want everyone to feel as comfortable as if they were home," he said, chuckling between breaths. I saw him now for who he was, a man well into age. The sagging skin that wrapped toothpick arms and legs showed his impossible age. Like the rest of the monks he was bald and wearing a green robe that was shorter than the rest. I tried not to look horrified, but I probably failed at that.

"Sakura, step forward," he said.

I did not move. I stayed exactly in the group that surrounded me, but that didn't mean the others couldn't move. They all shifted, so that they were standing closer to the rest of the monks and separating me from their party. I turned to follow them, but stopped at the old man's command.

Here's something else I learned at Heaven Pagoda. Words have potency un-measurable if spoken by a more-than-mediocre magician. Wei Fong was always humbly saying he was not that great a magician as Clow Reed himself, even though he was my master and so-on… But, I'm getting ahead of myself again.

I faced Master Wei Fong while I was still trembling like a leaf. I could hear the gang egging me on; "everything will be ok," "he means to protect you," "don't be afraid," and "go closer."

I did eventually take a step closer to the old man, but I still couldn't talk through the nervousness. I kept looking at the heads that seemed to bob this way and that with their eyes trained on me. I did manage to look around the entire time Wei Fong spoke to me.

When he noticed that my attention was divided, he brought up a hand and waved it in the air. The glass floors became solid wood and all the monks on the lower floors disappeared from view. That only left a few on the top floor with us.

"She has a tendency to become mute in crowds. I'm not sure why," Kero said on my behalf.

"Yes, I see" Wei Fong said, "I want the rest of the monks in this room to leave."

Eventually, the last of them did leave, but I could tell they weren't too thrilled about leaving. Didn't they ever hear that saying, "curiosity killed the cat"? Apparently not, since some of them know how to grumble at being left out of the introduction!

"That's better," he said, "Now," He turned his focus on me and I turned mine to him. I flinched at my own stupidity, not at what I saw in him. He looked at me, but his gray eyes did not see. He was blind and yet he faced me to ask, "What do you think of China?"

Taken aback by the revelation that the old man was blind I paused and took a deep breath. Then, I shrugged.

He kept going. "What about the Red Emperor?"

Tomoyo gasped, Official Zen yelped, and Touya groaned.

After turning to eyeball each one of them I answered politely, "I don't know since I've never met the guy in my life."

"That will not do. You have to know the state of the present affairs before you can fulfill your duties to the fullest. The Governor has not brought you up to date. Shame on him," Wei Fong sighed.

Yeah, I wanted to agree, but… I should've known that anything the guys kept from me was for the better. Ignorance was bliss after all. See, I was better off not knowing a tyrant like the Red Emperor. There was a period in his reign that everyone meant to keep silent about.

The Red Emperor was a powerful sorcerer, who ruled over the whole of China. There were other provinces in China, such as De Ding, but they all had to report to him every once in a while. The specific politics were well understood by the governors and the governors' officials. At that point in time, I did wonder what sort of issues Touya had to launder during the entire rule of The Red Emperor.

Over twenty-five years ago, there was a period in time The Red Emperor dubbed, "The Cleansing Period." I had never heard of the 'time' until Master Wei Fong told me. In the condensed way of explanation, what happened was the emperor purged the country of sorcery. Maybe I didn't understand what that meant when I first heard it, but later I would better understand. With age came wisdom. After he told me the story, I wanted to ask why the emperor didn't 'purge' himself for being magical, but I held my tongue. I held my tongue because there was an unbreakable moment of silence that naturally descended on everyone in the room the moment Master Wei Fong stopped speaking. In conclusion, The Red Emperor was a tyrant who made the Chinese live in fear.

"Street magic is the last bit of magic you might see in this age. Call it the remnants of old… The greatest magicians are all gone now. Did you know he tried to purge Clow Magic, Sakura?" When I shook my head he continued, "He tried getting to the cards by force, purging every living descendant of Master Clow Reed who might have stood in his way."

"What a waste of his energy. The cards are in my possession, now," I said.

"And you must promise to honor and protect them as if they are truly yours."

I wanted to tell him that I considered the Clow Cards mine in heart and spirit, but I felt a little tongue-tied again. I was getting the feeling, he controlled when he wanted me to speak, so that I wouldn't speak over him. He spoke, gravely, "Heaven Pagoda is not under De Ding jurisdiction. My home is open territory for anyone, even The Red Emperor. You must beware where you step. There're spells cast about these parts, but they can only do so much as to head a warning to us."

"Why did we take the risk of coming out here?" I asked, my voice quivering slightly.

Wei Fong dragged his walking stick towards his body, so that it scraped the floor. He took his awfully long time in answering my question. "The Governor has a fractured rib and needs my medical attention." I was so disappointed in that answer. I was not the least satisfied.

Touya began to protest, but Wei Fong stopped him in mid-phrase. "You came here just for that, Touya. Leaders sometimes forget that they are only human, too. You must learn that pushing and shoving will only get you so far."

The governor clenched his jaw as he glared at the very old man. "Sakura, I want to teach you something about pulse taking," Wei Fong muttered as he gestured Touya to come forward.

Touya stumbled to the chair placed in front of Wei Fong's. I watched with bated breath as the old man pressed his thin fingers along the radial length of Touya's wrist.

"If you follow the pulse, you can discover the diseases of your ancestors."

I looked at him in a way a skeptic looks at anything.

"Tibetan shamans can even read the ancestors' history and lives. They could also see some of the future by way of pulse reading."

"You can do that?" I asked incredibly.

He laughed quietly. "I can, but I much rather use my powers to fix people. Or, in other words, bring them back to their balanced state of being. Now, aren't you going to ask me about how I saw Touya's fractured rib?"

I looked keenly at him. "I don't need to ask. I know you can see more than what normal eyes can see."

"I can only see deeper into people," he said, smiling smoothly and toothlessly. "However, like you, I have a strong sense for magic. Take out that pouch in that reticule of yours."

I did just as he said.

Kero struck out first, angrily, "Sakura, didn't I tell you to get rid of that?"

"Nonsense! That item is special, Kerberos. It is no ordinary charm bracelet!" This was the first time I heard Wei Fong raise his voice. He did it only sometimes in the course of time that I would get to know him.

I pulled out the bracelet and held it out to Wei Fong.

"I can't touch that. It might disrupt the spell on it." Wei Fong turned Touya's palm down, so that he saw the posterior side of Touya's hand. "Only you and Touya can touch it."

"What?" I squawked.

Wei Fong explained it rather quickly. "That's a medium. It will anchor your souls to your bodies when you go off into a different time constructed by the magic of the spell. There's only one use for it, thus you have only one chance." He gripped Touya's hand hard. I knew by the way Touya winced.

"There's a place I have to take you to heal, Touya. It is also the place your parents were wedded," after saying this he looked over at me.

Then, with some support from Touya, he hobbled out of Heaven Pagoda. Tomoyo, Official Zen, Kero, and I followed.

"You both come from a noble family," Wei Fong gasped as he exerted himself to the task of walking, which in his case, was lurching about. I reached out to his other side, so that now there were two people he could lean on. "Why, thank you, Sakura." I was a little disconcerted with what he said about a 'noble family'. I was certain he was addressing both Touya and me even though we weren't related here.

We stopped in a part of the woods that looked like any other part of the woods. The only thing that marked a difference was the large boulder by one of the trees. I didn't know it was a memorial even as I walked up to it to help Master Wei Fong settle against the smooth surface of the face. I only really took notice of the memorial by the faraway look on Touya's face. My gaze followed his to the characters that were etched above Master Wei Fong's crown.

"Before we begin, I believe, you should know why I never told you about this place," he said, facing us both. For a moment he just stared forward. After that, he patted the floor area by the tree. "Come join me. Tomoyo and Zen will stand close by and watch. Kero come closer here. Touya, sit closest to me. There." He had us all oriented in the way that he had wished. One of his slim hands snaked up to Touya's side and this caused Touya to wince.

"Why do you always have to pretend to be macho about everything when it's so obvious you're hurt?" I nagged, furiously. He only cringed at my tone of voice. He must have been in too much pain to retort.

"Enough," Master Fei Wong, motioned for silence and again he received it. "Touya has not been honest about his past. I know because his mind tells me he's guilty. Touya, I brought you here to help you heal faster under the protection of your parents' love; you never needed it until now. Sakura, you must hold the medium out in front of you."

I stared blankly at him.

"The bracelet," he prompted.

I brought my hand out, so that the jewelry dangled. "Like this?"

Wei Fong, stretched out his long arm to hold my wrist closer to him. He also took his hand from Touya's side and pulled at Touya's wrist, too. He brought the governor's hand out, so that it hovered an inch from mine.

"You two were meant to see this together. This is the truth, so do not be afraid on this journey," with those parting words, he brought our hands to touch with the bracelet between the palms.

Everything went black at contact. I didn't feel like I had any substance in my being anymore. I felt very wobbly and insubstantial like I had traded my body with Wei Fong's more ancient one. I didn't remember blinking, but I still had to open my eyes to let the light back in. When I opened my eyes I was hovering above Touya's head and my head. We were both slumped against each other next to the tree. Tomoyo was shouting hysterical and jumbled words, while Kero was calling my name repeatedly.

"Do not disturb their journey. Stay where you are," Wei Fong commanded.

I tried flying back into my body, but there was an invisible force field holding me off. I tried again and again.

"Stop that!" Another voice beside me spoke. It was Touya. "You might injure yourself. Apparition or not…"

I pointed at him, "You're a-a-a-a…"

"No I'm not," he answered indignantly. He pointed at us on the ground. I noticed both our hands were locked against the silver bracelet and our chests were rising and falling normally.

"Oh," I sighed, "We're sleeping."

I don't know why I did what I did next, but I wanted to see for sure. I swiveled my head to look at Master Wei Fong. I was astonished to see that he stared right back at me wearing a tender smile. He tapped his bony finger against the characters above his head.

I did a turnabout in the air to face Touya's transparent form. "My family name is Mu Zhi Ben. My parents," he said slowly, "Their names were..." As true as The Governor of De Ding's name meant Peach Blossom and the Clow Mistress's name meant Cherry Blossom, it was true that his parents' name meant Tall Wisteria and Pink Carnation. I swear he said my parents' name when he mentioned his.


	14. Chapter 12

**Hello everybody. I have spare time to update again or time is sparing me this moment to update. This is a sectional of the turning point in the story. I hope everyone will enjoy this and let me know what everyone thinks.**

**Bests,**

**MistyWing**

"Chapter 12"

If I were to scale down the size of the land that Governor Fujitaka and his son Touya governed in the past, it was small enough to fit in your pocket. Now it was large enough to put it in a wagon. This was one of the few things I learned about Touya in this dreamlike spell that was cast upon us. This was one of the few things I learned about myself as well, but I must stop myself here before I digress again.

In order to make any sense out of this I must start from the beginning and explain the complicated spell-bound events in the order that they happened. Remember how Master Wei Fong mentioned that this was going to be a journey that only Touya and I could embark on? No one may follow us or interrupt us. I stand by him to say that he was as right about all that as he was most spectacularly right about everything else. It's difficult to explain what happened in the next few minutes which felt like hours to us. There's a lot of magic involved and I think I only understand half the mechanisms in this sort of spell.

Here it was in a nutshell; this spell's main essence was the power of love. Certain feelings, such as love could be extended in life through the sustainable memories from the dead. Fujitaka had cast a sort of spell on the charm bracelet when he died, so that his offspring might luckily stumble upon it and learn everything of their history and origin. In order for such a spell to work, one must know when he would die, or else he could destroy his soul and create a new matter in the world. A destruction of one's soul would be a horrible thing, but creation of matter would be much worse. We live in a world balanced by opposites and if new matter was to be added to the cosmos it would create a kind of entropy that we could all do without. Remember, the First Law of Thermodynamics states that matter can neither be created nor destroyed. Laws are made to keep order and remind us that we shouldn't do naughty things. No one should try to change what would always be naturally there or not there. Fujitaka wasn't even a sorcerer, but he was brainy enough to know the consequence of his spell casting if it were to fail, so he took careful measures to make sure it would not fail. He had the advisories of a number of magically inclined folks to ensure that his spell would not go astray. Once he created the medium on the day of his death, he left behind traces of his memory for us to obtain. When I say, 'us', I mean Touya and me. In order to obtain these memories we must leave our bodies and go soul-traveling. In the spell, our souls would only be partially departed from our bodies to guarantee our return. Also, the spell gave off the impression that every minute in the real world would feel like an hour in the dream world. The spell had a way of transcending the confines of time and space. In every setting Touya and I would fit in only a pocket of space that was not seeable to the naked eye. Try to wrap your mind around the impossible science of all this. Yes, it's still a science whether you want to accept it or not. I would also point out that you are entitled to your own opinion about things, but I hope I could change your mind as we progress along.

Things happened in the order that was logical instead of the order that was chronologically correct. The first point that we swung ourselves to—yes, swung like we were one pendulum with the potential energy to move from one end to the other with one single swing—was the time before Touya was born and before Fujitaka met his wife. Touya's father and his family were poor farmers in the small land of De Ding. Super small compared to what it was now. Fujitaka was just a small boy and an extra farm hand around the place.

As we watched him run out into the field before the break of dawn, Touya began his narration: "Father was adopted by a poor family. His adoptive father found him sleeping on a pile of garbage when he was passing by an alley. Back then, they said that if you don't know where you come from that's usually a sign of luck. Not knowing one's past meant that one could fix his present and man his future. Father never remembered where he came from. He only talked about his adoptive family as if they were truly his family, which they were."

The boy, Fujitaka, bent in the fields and worked the back-breaking hours that his aging adoptive father could not work anymore. There were so many plants to check up on. I could not believe my eyes, but that was what I saw. The infinity of work that seemed to stretch to the size of this universe. Near impossible, and yet Fujitaka knew not how to linger or rest; only work hard. We watched him run in the mud until the mud on the pads of his feet caked his waist, too. Touya continued in his monotone; "They still say that Fujitaka died in bed because of exhaustion through endless days of hard work. No one but I knew that Father died because he wanted to be reunited with my mother."

Touya and I must have turned to stare at each other at the same time because when I turned to face him he was staring back and saying, "He met my mother in the village. It was around the time that the emperor left the region after 'The Cleansing Period' and my father traveled around the small province to check-up on everyone. Back then, he was already the traveling scholar who had passed every governmental examination China had to offer. He made it his life goal to rise above and beyond, so that he could help provide for his farming family. Later he did it for the family that he would soon have to raise. Even later, he toiled on for the sake of all the villagers and the townspeople. He had hoped to see a better future in his lifetime."

At that point, Touya broke off. I thought I saw tears in the back of his eyes, but he hardened as quickly as the beginning of biting winter just after the last leaf fell in autumn. I worried that he was going to break at any moment for withholding so much emotion. "It wasn't that time yet. Peace still won't come for us."

Our setting blurred and swished to different colors. I readjusted myself in our space and looked out at the many apartments rising on either side of me. We were standing in the middle of the street at what looked like the town in De Ding. Actually, right behind me was the Governor's House. People were building the De Ding that now stood. Fujitaka was standing just ahead of us, but all I could make out was the back of his profile. A woman materialized at his side, but all I could see was the back of her, which was covered in a mass of rich, black curls.

"There they are. I remember Father saying that he and Mother helped build the town after they got married. It was almost finished before I was born," Touya said, a whimsical look on his straight face.

The picture panned to the right and we were somewhere else again. We were in the sky, flying above De Ding. The province was fading from its former small land to the glorious bountiful area that was all of De Ding. The picture below us, as we drifted overhead, went back and forth as if mocking us that the glory days would not last or that the glory days never really was if we were able to see the former De Ding and break our hearts over its original bareness.

"That's a big difference," I said, trying to liven up the silence that settled between us. I believe Touya was following my former track of mind because he frowned as if there was no tomorrow.

"We don't want to be reminded of the past. I never knew that was how it was before Father took over and applied for governorship. I thought it was something close to extraordinary that the Red Emperor allowed him to be governor. Everyone loved Father; he seemed like a different breed of man even though he was as normal as the next man. Mother was the real wizard in the family. She wasn't particularly good at it, so that saved her life. The emperor hates to let live anyone who might be stronger than him. He does not realize the size of De Ding, so he rarely bothers us. I make sure we continue to pay our dues to him, so that it remains that way."

Then, we were sucked down from our height. This wind took us from below and pulled us to the ground again. I stared at a scene in a conference room. I was standing behind the Governor and his son who were sitting on the raised platform and looking across the room at all the officials. The Governor spoke, "We must take precautionary actions and send some police to the borders…" The Touya that was sitting next to the governor was bobbing his head in agreement. The officials sitting in their cushions on the floor were nodding, too. Some of them were scribbling rapidly on their scrolls laid out on their low-legged tables, turning over characters before the ink had dried.

I voiced, "It's very disturbing that I never get to see your father's face."

"Nor my mother's," he added. "Sakura, you should not use the word 'never' so lightly."

My vision widened as if there was a person standing on both sides of the canvas and stretching the piece that I was admiring. I watched the picture tear in two to be replaced by a different scene. It was a more frantic and crazy scene. The moment we landed my ears met a piercing scream of agony. Oh my gosh! I slammed my hands over my ears and clenched shut my eyes.

"I remember this," Touya's voice echoed in my mind even though I had my hands covering my ears. I glanced to my side and watched as Touya pointed ahead of us. This was when I finally assessed our situation. We were in the Governor's House except there was barely any light, but the lamp in the hall. Little Touya, for I could always recognize my older brother's kid frame, crouched next to the door with the lamp next to his feet. He was leaning heavily against the door frame as he rapped at the door and whimpered for his mother. "Mama… Mama…"

The soul Touya I was presently standing with tried to turn away. "I can't watch this again."

It got brighter, snuffing out the gloom. I looked down the hall at the window that was glowing with the new sunlight. "Touya," I said.

At the same moment, the door creaked open and a man stepped outside. Little Touya did not move from where he sat. The man stepped around him, cradling a bundle in his arm as if it were the most precious thing in the world. I saw his face, then, with the sunlight streaming through the window. I saw the shine of the streaks that his tears had left on his pale cheeks. There was no cheer on Touya's father's face. There was only deep sorrow on MY father's face. Yes, my father's face. I was crying, too. At least my heart was because my soul couldn't shed tears. Dad was always smiling in the photos. He was always cheerful and bright in the home-made videos. This was such an awful contrast to what I knew.

Little Touya spoke as he stood and I heard Governor Touya's voice overlap the younger. "I never wanted her. I never wanted a sister who would hurt my mother. Never!"

My soul stumbled backwards and I crashed into something behind me. The invisible glass wall shattered to pieces at initial impact. The world was changing. I felt a release of anguish that I figured came from Governor Touya. Maybe this was the end of the spell. It would be better if that was the case because Touya was in the kind of misery that I could not bear to watch. I was in a kind of misery I could not bear to feel.


	15. Chapter 13

Hello is my message to the world tonight. It's great to be back. I will leave a longer message at the end when you're done.

"Chapter 13"

"Touya, are you okay?" I gasped, still trying to catch my breath. None of this was making sense. And the next scene was something new to Touya as well according to the stunned look he was wearing.

After crashing through the invisible wall that had been behind me and falling into oblivion I landed heavily in a new place. By now I was wishing that the journeying from place to place could sure be a little less abusive to the body. Touya was still beside me, but he hardly felt like talking to me or even reassuring me that he was fine by nodding his head or something. Any sign of life was better than looking at this statue of his soul.

"Where are we now?" I glanced about, making a three-sixty without moving a limb. We were at some sort of festival or carnival taking place in town. We were back outside in De Ding. "When are we?"

I knew Touya was not in the mood to answer, but I didn't know that even if he was in the mood to answer, he couldn't. This was a memory his parents never told him about.

"Touya," I pleaded. I wanted to grab him, but I had insubstantial hands that worked like nothing. I was in a pretty useless fix right then and there.

"Mother and Father are here," he finally said after that moment of lapse.

I swiveled around and spotted the two of them at a booth. I led the way to where they were. I was not surprised to see that the woman looked just like my mother, too. Speaking of recognizing the governor's parents, I also recognized the old woman they were conferring with. It was the same woman in the market who gave me the apple. "I know her!" I exclaimed.

Touya swung his arm at me to silence me, but his arm just sliced right through me. It worked to silence me, though. "She's a fortune teller of sorts," he explained to me.

We both leaned forward to listen in on the conversation.

"Tell us about ourselves, so I know you're not a fraud," Nadeshiko said, aplomb of the radiance in a majestic queen.

Fujitaka chuckled and softly stroked his wife's hand with his thumb.

The old crone smiled toothlessly. "Well, I know that you are a wizard of sorts, My Lady."

"Everyone knows that," she snorted. She flicked a lock of hair over her shoulders and added flippantly, "Any person in De Ding can tell you that."

She was acting like a stuck-up princess. Heck, the more perfect you looked the less perfect you were.

The old fortune teller went on, "You are a horrible wizard of sorts and before you say that everyone knows that, let me tell you why you are a horrible one. You are a clumsy young lady and you go about doing things brashly. Then, again, your character would be as it is as long as you suppress all that true potential you have. In order to protect yourself and your husband, you feel that the safe way of living would be to ignore what you are. Nonetheless, you have no interest in magic, so it comes off in your clumsy attempts at being an elegant woman. When you don't think too much about tripping over your feet in public you manage to be maladroit-free. Right, My Lady." She finished with that toothless, all-knowing smile.

I wanted to climb over the booth and box her in the ears for being that rude to my mother. Judging by the brooding look on Touya's face, he had the same thing in mind.

Nadeshiko clapped gleefully. "You are quite amazing!"

"Yes, you might need a lesson or two from the amazing one, My Dear," the elder answered.

I still wanted to box her in the ears, old woman or not.

"If only," Nadeshiko sighed. "Alas, it's really okay. I'm quite happy with who I am. As long as I have Fuji," with that said, she leaned against her husband.

"Yes, the governor is a good man. He always wants the best for everyone. He has always been trying to find his roots and thus he has traveled far and wide in his youth. He never found those roots, but know this, sir, the oldest roots run so deep they are near impossible to find. There's no way around that. What lives inside you would be one half of a soul that once existed as one whole in a distant time and place. You will pass on your gifts to your lovely offspring. Both of you," she said.

I couldn't tell what Dad was thinking. His face was a blank mask of thoughtfulness.

"Oh, Great Fortune Teller, tell us about our children!" Nadeshiko gushed.

The old woman reached for both their hands and my parents placed their hands in each one of hers.

"Ah, so it seems that your clock has started, Dear Governor and My Dear Lady. You will have a boy and a girl."

Nadeshiko began to chirp excitedly while Fujitaka joined in using lower tones.

"But, it will be hard for you both. Your love is powerful, but it's not enough to keep death from your doorstep," she said, closing her eyes gently. Her face crinkled in a frown that froze there.

"Impossible," They both snapped.

"Happiness will not be found in this life, but it will be found in the next," she assured them. "You must look forward and take it in stride."

"Who will die?" Nadeshiko belted the question. She was so close to tears at that precise moment.

The wise golden eyes looked at the young lady and the old voice croaked, "She will only live until the first magnolia blossom on the tree blooms. When the petals finish unfurling her little life ends."

"No," Fujitaka and Nadeshiko echoed.

The vision started spinning. Just when I thought I was going to be sick all over the scene, the spinning slowed until everything was completely at a standstill. I held my hand to my forehead and steadied myself. We were at the forest close to Heaven Pagoda! We were standing next to the boulder with Fujitaka and Nadeshiko's names engraved in it. The real Fujitaka and Nadeshiko in this spell were standing in front of the boulder with their hands linked. They were facing a monk, who was chanting in an old tongue. I didn't recognize the language, which meant that it was foreign.

At second glance I recognized old man Master Wei Fong. He didn't have his walking stick, but he was blind. He switched tongues and spoke so I understood him,

"Fulfill their wish and take their sacrifice.

Spill none of the blood you take from here and the next,

But treasure what will be given twice.

Give the next generation a chance at happiness with this price."

There was a thunderous boom and the ground shook for an instant. Fujiataka and his wife remained standing tall, their hands linked.

Everything settled to the order I recognized and had yearned for. Nadeshiko was the first to break the silence. "Did it work? Will my children be happy?"

The old man laughed. "Yes, child. They should live healthy and happy lives as long as they don't stray from the course." Then his face became serious and he suddenly looked gravely tired. Fujitaka released Nadeshiko and reached out to Wei Fong. "Master…"

"Listen to me," Master Wei Fong interrupted Fujitaka sharply, "There's no turning back. For your children you have given up your lives. Your lives would be cut short just so they could live and find the happiness you share."

"We will protect them no matter what," Nadeshiko answered, grinning brilliantly. I did not think I would ever see a sight more beautiful than my mother's serene smile.

"I wish the both of you had considered what being orphaned should be like for young children," Master Wei Fong sighed.

"In the next life they will have each other. It's hard enough to know that in this life we can't be together for a more extended time." Fujitaka looked at his wife, his eyes shone with love, "We should make the best of it. Master Wei Fong, we all should live to the fullest whatever amount of time we're going to be given."

"Besides, not only will little Touya and his baby sister be together until they're old and wrinkly like you, Master, but they'll also get the chance to find love like we did." Nadeshiko smiled directly at Fujitaka and I knew that all was well.

"I had a baby sister," Touya murmured.

I looked at him and knew without seeing that he was broken and utterly lost. The background dropped from behind him. We were back in the Governor's House.

Fujitaka's voice reverberated as he spoke to his son, "Touya, you don't mean that. You shouldn't say something you will regret later on." His tone was solemn, but he looked at Touya with shining, proud eyes. "Now go see your mother and wish her the best."

Fujitaka remained outside, embracing the bundle in his arms. We followed little Touya into the room where our mother slept. She opened her eyes when we entered.

"There's my big boy," she chuckled. She wrapped an arm around his shoulders as she leaned forward. "Touya, can you promise me something?"

"Yes, Mama."

"Will you take care of Baba when I'm gone?"

"Where are you going?"

"To a bright place where everyone's happy. I will watch you from there and when it's time we will meet up again."

Little Touya burst into silent tears. "O-o-kay."

"Hey, my big boy, I love you forever. Remember."

"I love you more," he retorted.

She lightly tapped his nose. "Pour some of that love on your father, My Son. Be strong for him."

"I will love him and take care of him while you're away. I will do the same for the baby if that's what you wish of me, too."

Her eyes glowed with her unshed tears. "Oh, Touya. You'll love and protect your sister someday."

Nadeshiko was bent tired. She released the boy, settling into the cushions under her back. Then, she took one last breath and went like that. Touya dried his tears and darted out of the room. "No, Mama! I'll start right now. Right now!"

The little boy ran right through us and stopped short next to his father in the hall.

"I'll love her, too, the way Mama would!" He exclaimed, reaching out his arms to his father. He wanted to take the baby swaddled in her blanket. Fujitaka only stared at him for a minute.

He managed to speak softly, "Touya, I'll let you hold Sakura if you take her over to the window and watch the magnolia tree outside with her."

There was a vibrato in Governor Touya's voice when he spoke. "That's what he meant by that… The old hag said…"

I watched Fujitaka hand over the baby. Touya took her and ran over to the window that shone with the sunlight. One blossom, the one closest to the window, began to unfurl.

"She was there," Governor Touya murmured beside me.

Fujitaka was walking towards his children. He paused right behind them and wrapped his hand around Touya's small shoulder. They all watched the first magnolia blossom bloom. When that life was born from the tree, the baby's life waned and extinguished completely.

"She didn't see me yet, but I knew she felt me before she went," Touya struggled to steady his voice. He raised his forefinger in front of his face and was lost again. "She knew me for just that moment when she took my finger and held it. That stupid flower came and she went like a passing wind. She would have been your age if she had lived." He ducked his head to the point that his chin was touching his chest.

At that precise moment I grabbed his finger. I looked into his stunned expression because here again he felt me. Strange thing when souls weren't supposed to have any corporeal stuff and yet we were touching, my hand wrapped around his finger.

Suddenly, something punched me in the side of the head and I pitched to the opposite side from the force of it. I blinked. Then, I looked to my side where the force had come and found that I was back in the real world; the spell was finished. The bracelet was gone, but my hand was still wrapped around Touya's leather-like forefinger. "Just so you know, Touya," I said with a smirk, "You and I only get along sometimes in the next life. The better portion of our lives we threaten to murder each other."

"Only because I want to protect you always," he answered.

"Don't go corny, Brother." I released his hand. Then, I launched myself forward and hugged him fiercely.

"Strange, in this life I still want to kill you sometimes. It's an itch I can't scratch," he said, messing up my hair with his filthy hands.

"Okay, what just happened? Why are you two so friendly and rough at the same time? Did you just call him brother?" Tomoyo fired away with the questions.

"Meet your cousin, Tomoyo," Touya said, flourishing that arrogant smile on his face.

I smiled at Tomoyo's bewildered expression and prepared for the longest story-telling of all time. The longest stories were always the ones I could never finish. Let's just end this chapter with me reminding you that my life's one heck of a story to tell.

* * *

><p>You have reached the end of the chapter as Sakura announced at the end of this segment. Was it as unexpected as I was intending it to be or did all of you expect all that to happen? I just somehow made this profound connection, so that the transition to the next chapter will be easy for my readers and for myself. Rawr.<p>

This was the best way to bring these folks together. The past lives are no different from the present lives. Keep that in mind. My idea of a soul is pretty much the standard concept, but my idea of rebirth in the same embodiment is totally not quite the standard. It wouldn't really make sense to make Sakura reborn into a frog. I kept her physical being the same. She wouldn't be able to tell you her story and the grand adventures she has already embarked on otherwise.

This story is an emotionally roller coaster. I went through all the future chapters with my prophetic vision. Just kidding. All future chapters are nearly done. There is an ending like no other!

Now, please review with care.

Yours Truly,

MW


	16. Chapter 14

Greetings and happy Halloween. It is my pleasure to post this short chapter. Please enjoy and share your thoughts in your reviews.

MistyWing

"Chapter 14"

It was late and yet it was early there at Heaven Pagoda. I guess all first days have that paradoxical feel to them. For my dearest big brother, Governor Touya, he was on cloud nine for discovering that the time-traveling Clow Mistress was his long lost sister from the next life. For me, the time-traveling Clow Mistress, I was content with the fact that Touya in this life no longer had to live with the guilt that he killed his baby sister with his hateful words. Brother and sister were uplifted in a profound way cast by an innocent spell from our father.

"Fujitaka and Nadeshiko died in your world, too," Tomoyo stated quietly, "Right Sakura?"

I paused with what I was doing, which was spoon-feeding Kero some left-over pudding in my sack. Touya also stopped with his task of rummaging through his belongings for something. I was supposed to answer and I didn't mind answering, but at the moment Master Wei Fong stepped in. "They made a wish that would mean they could not walk among the living for long in this world once their children were born."

"They died young in Sakura's world, probably when she was still too young to remember much," Touya stated.

I nodded.

Before I could speak on my behalf, Master Wei Fong interrupted, "Your folks should be remembered for how they lived and not how they died."

"How are people reborn?" Tomoyo asked. I imagine Touya wanted to ask the same thing because that question had also been weighing me down for the better part of the day.

Master Wei Fong leaned forward in his chair, pointing his face steadily in the direction of Tomoyo. "That's a question you may only ask one who could remember being reborn. Not many remember. Half of Clow Reed's soul was in your father, Fujitaka," he said, looking between me and Touya. "Fujitaka could not remember anything, though."

"You say half. The old woman in the spell said the same thing," I said.

"Yes, good call, Sakura," Touya interjected. "Where's the other half of Clow Reed's soul?"

"That would be something I do not know, children. Although Clow Reed was my teacher, he never spoke of his plans, but we must all remember that no man, sorcerer or farmer, may defy the rules that govern nature. There's always a price to pay if you do lose your way."

It was going to take a long time to get used to the way the old man talked to you. He never gave you the direct answers. Later, he told me that he actually never gave any of his students the answers to the riddles of life. He simply and metaphorically pointed you in a direction and told you to go that way in which you would have to figure out how to actually go that way. He usually pointed at the gloomier and tougher paths among the many paths that were laid out before us. Hey, the harder it was the easier the rest of the roads taken would be. For me this was an infuriating load of bull. The old man would've whipped me if he heard me say that out loud.

Touya spun on his heels and spoke with excitement, "This is the kind of material I want Sakura to learn. She may be the next best Sorceress of this time, Master. If you teach her you'll find that her abilities are boundless…"

"I will not take her as my student." Master Wei Fong's voice rumbled in the stillness of the Heaven Pagoda.

Master Wei Fong's declaration had only stilled Touya for a moment. Once my brother found headway he charged forward, "Master, she will be your finest student. I'm sure!"

"No. She won't be anything, but the worst."

I huffed, but I didn't say anything. I just jammed the last spoonful of pudding into Kero's mouth. The toy was oblivious to his surroundings, the pudding bringing him to that heavenly state of pure, unbreakable bliss. See, this was me, people. I keep letting people trample over my feelings and I can't seem to break out of that mindset. Why? In the past I might have blamed my parents, grandfather, and even Touya, but now, this changed woman could only blame herself. Like I said from the start, old habits were hard to break.

"Come on, Sakura. Say something or this might be it," Tomoyo said aloud.

I was watching her just over Kero's fat face, when I noticed her shadow shifting away from her. The darkness scaled from the floor to the bookshelf right behind her. It grabbed at either end of the shelf and shoved.

"Tomoyo, look out!"

Touya was there in an instant. I wasn't aware that he was watching that shelf falling as well. I was only too glad that he was there. The book case looked heavy enough to crush both me and Tomoyo, on the spot, if it had been me who had to run over in the nick of time to save the day.

Touya heaved and pushed the bookcase back in place. Some of the books laid splayed across the floor. Tomoyo was shaken up and I was ready to rush over to her side to comfort her, but then I felt something holding my ankle.

"Kero!" I cried helplessly.

Finally Kero snapped out of his pudding-stupor and examined my helpless face. "What's wrong, Sakura?"

"There's something fascinating," Wei Fong murmured. "This power's very familiar."

"Master, it's a Clow Card," Touya announced. "Sakura move!"

If I could, I would've, but something now had me by both ankles. I tried to break free before the statue behind me could crush me, but it was pointless. This thing was much stronger than me and Kero, who was trying to pull me out with all his might. I thought I was a goner until a flash of lightning sizzled in the air within the room. I felt myself being lifted and I could see Kero just spinning out of the way.

When I was dropped to the floor next to Wei Fong's chair I looked up to see who had saved me. It was Syoaran! He was angry, a little unkempt, and maybe a hint tired, but he was here and I was overflowing with joy just to see him, never mind I was being attacked by a Clow Card.

"This would be the work of Shadow," he said, looking disgruntled at me. "Do something about it."

His command snapped me to attention. "Like what?"

"Use your imagination, Clow Mistress."

Wei Fong was thwacking at the ground with his stick in enthusiasm. He was rejoicing over a life or death situation and I was beginning to believe that I would be better off going back with Touya and Tomoyo. I hate to stick around and get pulled into his silly notions of what's fun and stuff. He obviously thought this Clow Card catching business was some grand amusement park ride.

Syaoran looped his arm around my midsection and pulled me up to my feet. His arm was still around me as I cast The Thunder and watched The Shadow cower from the blaze of neon-blue light.

"Okay, Clow Card, return to your power confined. I command you, Shadow!"

I wished I could have impressed the master of Heaven Pagoda with the dazzling vibrancy of my sealing magic, but the man was blind. There was no proving to him that I was not going to be his worst student, but what was I thinking?! I didn't want to be his student at all. I didn't want to be the student of a man, who was having a ball when I was in danger.

"Well done, Sakura. Splendid," he said.

My hands settled on the flesh of Syaoran's forearm held firmly around me. I looked at the old man, plain aghast. "You saw."

"I saw how I see everything. I might have been born blind, child, but I was born blind to the way most people see. The way I see you is through the living energy that pulses from you. That's how I tell apart humans from boars."

"Then, how do you tell humans apart from other humans?" I asked.

"By the sound of your voice," Syaoran answered. "If he had not heard you speak, he can also tell you apart from others by the color and strength of your aura. It's much harder to differentiate mortals who are not magically inclined. Am I right, Master?"

"Excellent explanation, child," Master Wei Fong replied, beaming at the both of us. "And the both of you have beautiful and complementing auras; well-matched in every way, indeed."

"Let go of her, Brat!" Touya hollered from the other side of the room. His voice echoed loudly.

Syaoran abruptly released me without warning and I found myself sprawled at Master Wei Fong's feet. He was smiling over the crown of my head and asking, "Now, where's my cup of tea?"

Kero flew across the room brandishing a porcelain cup filled to the brim with some herbal tea. I knelt as I took the cup from his paws and handed it to Master Wei Fong. I bowed respectfully and waited. "Master, your tea," I croaked.

"Welcome to a fine class of sorcerer-warriors," He raised the cup and drank. When he finished with a smack of his lips he spoke again. "Touya, Tomoyo, and Zen may stay for the night, but I want all three of you gone by tomorrow morning."

"That's not fair, Master! We must stay," Touya argued.

"Two's company. Three's a crowd," Master Wei Fong said.

"What about him? I'm not fond of the fact that the brat who keeps making sheep's eyes at Sakura gets to stay," Touya demanded, jabbing his finger in Syaoran's direction. I let out a breath through my nose and glanced over at Syaoran stiffening at Touya's accusation. Nobody was making any kind of eyes at anybody. I would notice these things.

"Syaoran's one of my protégés. I won't deny any past student of mine refuge in my home. Even with that said, I believe Syaoran does not wish to stay with me." The old man briefly closed his eyes as he rested palms on top of one another over his walking stick.

It was settled, then. I would stay and undergo training with the old man, while Syaoran and Touya had their chance to run along.

"I'm sorry, Lady Tomoyo. I don't want you to be pampering the Clow Mistress during her training. None of my students have had that pleasure, so the rule stands. The lessons will last as long as it takes. Accept it or run away and never reach your true potential," he said all this with a stern face. He was addressing the whole room at the time, which meant that we all had some "true potential" we had to meet.

"She will not lay at night with the lot of male monks in this confinement! I forbid it!" Touya sneered, forgetting that he was talking to The Great Master Wei Fong.

"She will retire with the women and the children at night," Wei Fong said patiently. "There will be no more utterance of your disapprovals, Governor, or you will be kicked out immediately."

Touya's jaw snapped shut, but he was still very unsatisfied.

He hardly slept that night. He was a worrywart as usual and I had no clue how to reassure him that I was going to be okay wherever I ended up. As a promise that I would return to the Governor's House stronger and smarter, I gave him Naeshiko's bouquet. Touya recognized the present and snatched it out of my hands.

"This was mother's wedding bouquet," he exclaimed. He wanted to know where I got it.

"It came with the bracelet. Speaking of that, there's some spell on the bouquet, too," I said.

"Yes, that's why they're still alive."

"It really belongs with you, Touya. Take care of it until I return."

That was enough to ease him just a smidgeon. He had to understand that I wasn't going to be alone at Heaven Pagoda during my training.

I still had Kero. I didn't mention that I also had Syaoran because, for some odd reason, the mention of Syaoran made the vein in Touya's temple bulge. What was I thinking? Of course these two would never get along. They had been mortal enemies since the day Syaoran was born.

I hung around the background with Tomoyo when those two snuck around to the back of the pagoda. I hurriedly finished my goodbyes with Tomoyo and we both moved in on the two men. We remained low and hidden in the shadow of Heaven Pagoda as we watched the two men face each other. I wish I heard their exchange of words, but all I could truly catch was the extreme loathing boiling from either side of the conversation. It was more like a verbal fight than a friendly conversation judging by the fighting stance the both of them had taken. Tomoyo was about to step out from hiding, but I pulled her back and shook my head at her.

Then, I showed her The Flower card in my hand. She gave me an encouraging nod.

"Flower," I whispered, "Give these two their favorite flower."

Cherry blossoms fell from the sky and fluttered in a gentle spiral around the two men. I watched with bated breath as they both stopped to look at the petals in the air; they both caught a fistful in their hands. They looked at each other, this time not glaring. Their demeanors changed drastically. There was nothing I could understand in their expressions, but once I knew they weren't going to kill each other anymore, I kind of dragged Tomoyo away.

It took hours to see them off. Syaoran and I stood shoulder to shoulder as we waved farewell to the moving carriages. Actually, I was the only one doing the waving. Syaoran was doing what he did best, which was to remain remotely detached to every touching moment in our lives. I looked at him and noticed that he was still holding the cherry blossoms.

"What's that?" I asked, acting as if I didn't know what it was. My eyes staring at him were very penetrating.

He snapped his hand back to hide his fist behind him and stepped away from me. Now that his fist was hidden, he bounced back with a, "What's what?"

I deprecatingly smiled at him and waited a while to see the discomfort reach his face. When I relented because I thought it was enough torture on the poor fellow, I turned from him and took a few quick steps forward onto the trail. I kept waving at Tomoyo and Touya until I couldn't see their carriages anymore.


End file.
